Dutch National Police working to train anti-drone eagles

[jayesh30202]

As remotely-controlled drones become smaller and more sophisticated, authorities are working to counter the potential security and privacy implications in sometimes novel ways — including training eagles to take the aircraft down.
 

 

The Dutch National Police have begun working with a private firm that specializes in "training birds of prey to intercept hostile drones." Thus far that seems to mean using eagles to snatch wayward drones out of the air, as noted by IEEE Spectrum.

The company — known as Guard From Above and based in The Hague — says that birds of prey are uniquely suited to the task thanks to their ability to catch up with and overpower fast-moving animals. 

 

 

 

 

 

Both Guard From Above and the Dutch National Police have sought to allay fears that drones may harm the birds by asking the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research to conduct scientific studies into the issue. Even in the absence of verifiable evidence, however, Guard From Above says that injury is unlikely.

"In nature, birds of prey often overpower large and dangerous prey," the company wrote in a press release. "Their talons have scales, which protect them, naturally, from their victims' bites."

In addition to methods of taking down rogue drones, most developed nations are exploring new regulatory frameworks for drone use by both individuals and businesses. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has indicated that it will require certain classes of drones to be registered, hoping to "help build a culture of accountability and responsibility."

 

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[Batu69]

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[SURbit]

This bird could be a drone's worst enemy

 

Dutch company proposes using birds of prey to keep away drones

 

When it comes to the problem of stopping errant drones, there's been a number of high-tech solutions -- from radio jamming to laser beams to nets launched by other drones  --  but a group in The Netherlands is proposing a low-tech solution that's much more elegant.

 

proposing a low-tech solution that's much more elegant.

The Guard From Above says it is training birds of prey to attack drones, taking advantage of their natural predatory instincts and precision in the sky.

 

A video posted by the company on YouTube shows a bird attacking a DJI Phantom drone as it hovers, grabbing the drone with its feet and flying away with it.

 

 

 

The bird's claws have scales that should prevent it from getting injured by the fast rotating blades, said the company. But it did say it is investigating extra protective measures that could be taken.

 

It also appears to be a concern to the Dutch National Police, which is investigating the use of birds to take down drones. The police have asked the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) to research potential danger to birds.

 

To date there have only been a handful of incidents in which drones were used to breach security and get to places they are not supposed to be, such as The White House lawn or the roof of the Japanese Prime Minister's office.

But tech companies are racing to provide high-tech solutions to skittish security agencies.

 

Here's the drone net deployed by Japanese police:

 

 

But animals don't appear to be overly impressed with drones, especially when they get a little too close. This chimpanzee delivered a quick verdict to a drone at a Dutch zoo.

 

 

And here's a drone getting attacked by a kangaroo.

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RELATED TOPIC: Almost 300,000 drones have been registered with the FAA

 

Success for the FAA, but no one knows how many are unregistered,

The Federal Aviation Administration says its drone registration system has hit almost 300,000 registrations, one month after launch.

The figure points to some success for the database, which was introduced on Dec. 21 and is aimed at instilling a mindset of safety in drone pilots, but is still well behind industry estimates of the number of drones sold in 2015 -- those were forecasting sales of around 700,000 drones.

So there's either still a lot of drones to be registered or those sales estimates are off. No one really knows.

 

 

Whatever the actual number out there, registrations continue to rise. When last updated on Jan. 6, the FAA said it had 181,000 registrations. It costs $5 and that charge was being refunded for the first month, which ended on Thursday.

 

The database covers the pilot, not a specific drone, and is a response to a number of incidents in which drones were flown in controlled airspace, where they can pose a danger to manned aircraft. While it carries the possibility of criminal fines of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years, the FAA really just wants to get drone pilots playing by the rules.

 

And the rules are fairly simple: Don't fly within five miles of an airport without permission from the tower; don't fly above 400 feet; don't fly at night; keep your drone within sight; and keep out of no-fly zones like national parks.

 

The registration process is fairly simple and takes a few minutes to complete online. Speaking earlier this month at CES in Las Vegas, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the agency was looking to make it even easier, perhaps allowing registration at time of purchase by simply scanning the bar code of the drone.

 

While all drone pilots who purchased drones after Dec. 21 are required to register before their first flight outdoors, those who owned drones prior to that date have been given more time. The deadline for those folks to register is Feb. 21.

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