AI App DinoTracker Identifies Dinosaurs From Footprints

Scientists have launched DinoTracker, an AI app that identifies dinosaurs from ancient footprints with about 90% expert-level accuracy.
Researchers trained the system using 2,000 unlabelled footprint silhouettes instead of disputed human classifications.
The AI compares shapes using eight key features, including toe spread, heel position, and ground contact.
The team published the research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The project involved scientists from University of Edinburgh and Helmholtz-Zentrum.
The app lets users upload footprints and explore similar examples interactively.
Results support earlier findings that some Triassic footprints appear strikingly birdlike.
Experts caution these tracks likely came from birdlike dinosaurs, not true early birds.