I have touched on a number of exciting projects that aim to automate parts of the agriculture process, whether it’s wearable devices for cattle, automated farms, robotic crop planters, and of course drones capable of performing all manner of functions.

Mostly, these drones are performing high quality work looking at things such as soil nutrient levels and the health of crops, but they are also capable of performing some slightly more old-fashioned tasks.

Flying scarecrows

The American company Bird-X have developed a drone that looks like a hawk that’s designed to humanely deal with pest problems by scaring birds away from crops.

The devices have undergone a test flight and are now ready to hit the market.  It’s perhaps not surprisingly regarded as the first product of it’s kind to offer autonomous pest control in this way.

It’s designed to scare off birds by using sounds such as that emitted by a predator bird, whether it’s one on the hunt or in distress.

In addition to scaring off birds, the device is fitted with a camera to capture footage as it flies.  The makers believe that in addition to monitoring cropland, it could also be used to keep birds out of public areas, whether that’s tourist hotspots like Trafalgar Square, or even airports where bird strikes pose a safety hazard.

It’s certainly an interesting concept, and whilst I can’t quite picture how this approach is infinitely better to what is already used, I’m far from an expert in bird management.

Check out the video below to see the device in action.