Robirds are realistic robotic birds that will be an environmentally friendly solution for all bird-related problems. Designed as birds of prey using real flapping wings as a means of flying, the combination of silhouette and wing movement triggers the instinct of birds and scare them off.
Robirds are developed to be used in facilities such as airports, farms, and landfills to scare off unwanted birds. There are already methods for keeping birds away, including archaic scarecrows and military-grade flash bang grenades, but the Robird offers a durable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly alternative.
Robirds are built with a mechanism that replicates the motions a real bird’s wings make exactly. The up-and-down motion of wings is simple to copy in a machine but it is more difficult to replicate the rolling motion birds use to push wind backwards and propel them forwards.
To accomplish this, Clear Flight developed flexible wings that deform as the wing pitches up-and-down. At a landfill in the Netherlands, test trials of the Robirds resulted in a 75% decrease in bird visits.
Testflight Of Robird - Copyright:Clear Flight Solutions
Scarecrows and flash bangs are short-term fixes, but they don’t register in the minds of birds as a real threat. Robirds are different: birds learn to avoid the active hunting grounds of a bird of prey. Because the Robirds silhouette and wing movement trigger the instinct of birds, there are no chances of (re)habituation in the long term.
Currently there are no other means available in battling the nuisance of birds with as high a success rate as the Robird.
Depending on the habitat and birds to scare off, there is a choice between two designs: Peregrine Falcon or Eagle.
Falcon Robirds are modeled after the Peregrine Falcon, the world’s most widespread bird of prey. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except for the extreme Polar Regions, high mountains, rainforests, and New Zealand.
They are the fastest animals on earth, capable of reaching speeds beyond 320 km/h while diving for prey. The Peregrine Falcon feeds almost exclusively on medium-sized birds such as gulls, pigeons, songbirds, and waterfowl. These small birds know they are a quick meal for the Peregrine Falcon, and this is what makes the Robird so effective.
Robird Peregrine Falcon - Picture: Clear Flight Solutions
Eagles are amongst the biggest and most powerful birds of prey ranking at the top of the food chain in the avian world. Most eagles will hunt many different types of prey, ranging from birds and fish to the occasional small deer.
Eagles can be found on the Northern Hemisphere which including the bald eagle (North America), the white-tailed or sea eagle (Northern Europe and Northern Asia) and the golden eagle (Europe, Asia and North America).
Prey selection is mostly determined by the local availability of prey species. Geese, gulls, swans and other waterfowl are typical avian prey. But Eagles can also hunt pigeons, ravens, crows and even other birds of prey.
Robird Eagle - Picture: Clear Flight Solutions
Clear Flight uses a 3D printer to mold the Robird’s glass-fiber body in the shape of the species required. To customize the Robirds for the work to be done and the areas in which they are deployed, different painting patterns are also available to resemble the specific species.
Clear Flight has completed the remote-controlled version of the Robird. This has allowed them to confirm their success in realistically replicating the flight of a falcon and its ability to scare off other birds. But it is not cost-efficient for businesses to hire an experienced RC pilot just to chase birds away.
Clear Flight is currently developing autonomous technology that will be used in the Robird to allow easy use: handlers simply have to define the flight area or draw out a pre-programmed flight path.
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