[Video] Another prey for the birds of prey

Libero.id - Brilio.net/en - Looks like nature still has a one-up on technology. The Dutch National Police have trained Eagles to catch remote controlled drones, with the help of a raptor training program called Guard From Above.

Unmaned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are more commonly known as drones, possess many qualities that makes them useful for modern day society. They are able to capture visually striking images from above and gather data where scientists couldn’t go before. But the modern day marvel pose some serious threats that haven’t been seen before, such as air traffic as they can come uncomfortable close to commercial aircrafts. In just eight months in 2015, 650 pilots had reported seeing the drones while flying. Regulations are limited to none on the unmanned tech devices and safe integration policies have yet to be implemented.

Using birds to take down drones is a low budget and old school method of tackling issues only seen in the 21^st century. The birds used in the Netherlands are a pair of bald eagles, arguably the fiercest and strongest bird of prey around. They have been trained not only to take down the drone but also retrieve it.

For the birds, it’s an easy skill to learn. According to the keepers, they are already apprehensive of the flying drones, who seem to lack proper avian skills. “What I find fascinating is that birds can hit the drone in such a way that they don’t get injured by the rotors,” said the National Audubon Society’s Geoff LeBaron “They seem to be whacking the drone right in the centre so they don’t get hit; they have incredible visual acuity and they can probably actually see the rotors.”

In a few months, the training period will be completed and the police force will examine whether or not to implement the birds of prey. As of now, the birds are the best option. In Japan, drone nets have been developed to capture fly away UAVs and in Great Britain a “death ray” laser has been created to disable the drones mid-flight.



(Reported by Ivana Lucic)