Science & Technology

Company trains eagles to take down drones

By T.K. Randall
February 2, 2016 ·  17 comments

Eagles are adept at intercepting drones. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 Lewis Hulbert Drones have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, so much so in fact that authorities in many countries have found themselves desperate for new ways to crack down on their illegal use.

To help meet this demand, a Dutch company called Guard From Above has come up with a novel new approach to the problem that involves training bald eagles to chase and intercept the devices.

The remarkable idea has already proven quite popular and actually appears to work."For years, the government has been looking for ways to counter the undesirable use of drones," said the company's founder and chief executive, Sjoerd Hoogendoorn.

"Sometimes a low-tech solution for a high-tech problem is more obvious than it seems. This is the case with our specially trained birds of prey. By using these birds' animal instincts, we can offer an effective solution to a new threat."

So far the company's customers include the Dutch Police who have commented that using the birds as a way to help combat unauthorized drone use represents a "very real possibility".

"The bird sees the drone as prey and takes it to a safe place, a place where there are no other birds or people," said spokesman Marc Wiebes. "That is what we are making use of in this project."


Source: Washington Post | Comments (17)

Tags: Eagle, Drone