Preventing bird strikes: Developing RoboFalcons to deter bird flocks

Bird strikes are an ever growing problem in aviation causing human casualties and costs amounting to a yearly billion euros due to aircraft damage, delays and cancellation. The focus of this research project will be studying whether it is possible to drive away flocks from airbases through use of robotic falcons. The two main questions are: (i) What collective escape strategies are employed by flocks under predation, and how are they dependent on predatory and environmental context? (ii) What predatory strategies are best suited for deterring flocks of prey away from airbases? We analyze this through gathering audio recording and video data on flocks that are deterred at airbases using various hunting strategies with a robotic falcon.