Dutch National Police working to train anti-drone eagles
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."
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."
Comments
Any bad guys who wanted to take out the eagle certainly should be able to. Plus, this technique would probably only work with small plastic drones. An eagle would be no match for a heavy duty professional drone.
Next the feds will probably require a software back door from drone manufacturers to make it possible for them to disable a drone and land it safely.
It depends on how large the professional drone is. I know bald eagles in the Pacific Northwest have no problems snatching small dogs, cats and other animals weighing 4-5 lbs while their main diet is spawning salmon during those seasons. We're not talking about grabbing small trout but large salmon. I could see a bald eagle damaging a drone in the 12-18" diameter size just by grabbing it with its tremendously strong talons. Of course, in the PNW, I can't wait to hear about the first drone taken down by a shotgun, especially one from Amazon.
But then prey aren't manmade drones that could be armed in some way to scare off, hurt or even take down that bird of prey, if attacked.
I think most people see these as an invasion of their privacy as well as being another source of noise. I get tired of the military jets strafing our neighborhood as they perform their training exercises up to midnight. I'd much rather hear birds and laughter from kids than a stupid drone. Drones have their place in certain areas for certain situations but not everywhere.