Drone owners, it looks like Spiderman-inspired nets aren’t the only thing you’ll need to worry about taking down your drone.
The Dutch National Police are testing a new means of bringing down unauthorized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Eagles.
That’s right, Dutch police are currently undergoing a short trial period of teaching trained eagles to identify drones and take them out, much like they would their natural prey.
The eagles being used for the trial are on loan from Guard From Above, a raptor training company from Denmark.
Although the video shows the eagle safely intercepting a Phantom drone, I can’t help but wonder if this solution is practical or safe for the animal in the event the drone in flight is much larger. Eagles are strong creatures and their talons even more so, but carbon fibre props can spin at ridiculous speeds and would very likely cause harm to the bird if spinning at full speed on a larger, commercial-size drone.
In the video, the handlers note that eagle’s feet are protected, but also mention a potential safety mechanism that would further protect them in the event of larger drones.
What will they think of next?
[via Gizmodo]
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