Are Robot Birds the Solution to Bird Strikes?

Robird drones may soon hit the skies, attempting to keep unwanted bird activity away from airports.

Aviation industries may now have one less concern to worry about thanks to the introduction of “Robird” drones, which are designed to keep birds away from airports and runways.

Birds pose a significant threat to flight safety and cost to airplanes, often by hitting windshields, or flying into engines. In order to manage bird activity, many airports have trained birds of prey to scare away these unwanted dwellers. However, it is difficult to train birds of prey in a safe, controlled and efficient manner.

Enter Robird. Developed by 27 year old Dutchman Nico Nijenhuis, a Robird is designed to look and act like a real bird of prey, mimicking flight behavior and flapping wing motion. It was extremely important to Nijenhuis’ development that these attributes be mirrored exactly like a real bird of prey in order to impact unwanted creatures. “If it doesn’t look like a predator, they don’t care. And if it doesn’t move like a predator, they don’t care either,” Nijenhuis told Wired magazine.

Controlling bird activity around airports and runways is extremely important to safety and can often damage airplanes. According to a 2013 FAA report on bird strikes, 71 percent occurred at or below 500 above ground level.

With the use of Robirds, airports would be able to have someone control the drones from the ground, while the pilot would have less to worry about in-air.

Under the company, Clear Flight Solutions, Nijenhuis hopes to sell these Robirds to aviation and waste management industries.

[Photo: Clear Flight Solutions]