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from the catch-and-release-into-custody dept.
The Dutch police have partnered with Guard From Above, a raptor training company based in The Hague, to determine whether eagles could be used as intelligent, adaptive anti-drone weapon systems. The eagles are specially trained to identify and capture drones, although from the way most birds of prey react to drones, my guess is that not a lot of training was necessary. After snatching the drone out of the sky, the eagles instinctively find a safe area away from people to land and try [to] take a couple confused bites out of their mechanical prey before their handlers can reward them with something a little less plastic-y. The advantage here is that with the eagles, you don't have to worry about the drone taking off out of control or falling on people, since the birds are very good at mid-air intercepts as well as bringing the drone to the ground without endangering anyone.
Video (in Dutch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HifO-ebmE1s
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 03 2016, @06:41PM
<v voice-over>To some it's just a toy, to others it's an annoying or even dangerous obstacle.
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<v voice-over>It's hard to imagine an airspace without drones. Or is it?
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<v voice-over>This eagle quickly puts an end to this drone's flight.
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<v voice-over>He is specially trained to catch these devices from the air
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<v voice-over>and transport them to a safe location.
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<v Hoogendoorn>The raptor sees the drone as a prey, so it tries to bring its prey to a safe location,
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<v Hoogendoorn>where it tries to guard it, because it thinks it as his prey.
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<v voice-over>The police has been searching for more effective ways to repel drones from places they're not allowed to fly.
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<v Wiebes>There are situations where people are not allowed to fly, within controlled airspace, as it's called,
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<v Wiebes>which is usually related to risk of danger to bystanders.
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<v Wiebes>In one case, a trauma helicopter wanted to land on a certain spot, but couldn't because somebody was flying a drone there.
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<v Wiebes>In another case, somebody was flying near an airport, near Schiphol,
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<v Wiebes>which was somebody who was just playing around, which can create dangerous situations.
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<v voice-over>As the amount of drones rapidly increases, so too increases the amount of incidents.
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<v voice-over>To police, these raptors are a possible means to intervene more quickly before things go awry.
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<v Wiebes>Our current capabilities are limited to finding the drone's pilot, the person flying it,
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<v Wiebes>but it is sometimes very difficult to find them. It can take a long time before you find them.
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<v Wiebes>That's why you'd want the possibility to attack the thing itself.
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<v Wiebes>We want our 'toolbox', so to say, to be as extensive as possible,
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<v Wiebes>so we can use the most fit tool for any situation.
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<v Wiebes>This one's of course the most photogenic, but there are other measures which are more physical,
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<v Wiebes>such as catching the drone with a net, or by using electronics.
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<v voice-over>But a drone is not exactly comparable to a fish or goose. The trainers do not seem to be worried about the propellors.
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<v Hoogendoorn>The raptors have a natural protection on their legs, with scaled claws,
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<v Hoogendoorn>and besides that we're looking into additional protectional measures.
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<v voice-over>To these raptors, it's all just a sport. Whether they get to work as police birds will be decided in a few months.