Can Eagles Be Trained to Take Down Drones?

Controversial and transformative, drones have quickly emerged as one of the decade’s most innovative new technologies. While they are fantastic when it comes to leisure, recreation and professional purposes, they’ve also materialised as a dangerous weapon for those wanting to breach security defence systems, from above.

Over the past few years governments and law enforcement groups have struggled to keep drone use under wraps, with several high profile cases of misuse making global headlines. We’re talking the latest flight delays at London’s Heathrow airport for starters.

Wings vs propellers

Now, the Netherlands has come up with a potential solution that could help security personal take down rogue drones in a heartbeat. Surprisingly simple and far more archaic than expected, Dutch police are proposing that eagles be trained to take down drones from the sky.

In partnership with birds of prey training group Guards From Above, Dutch police have trained eagles to recognise the flying machines as prey, then disable the propellers with their talons. While the project is still in its trail stages, it could emerge as a key form of defence for security teams wanting to up their games.   

“In the future drones will be used increasingly, so [it] will increase the number of incidents involving drones,” read a recent statement released by the Netherland’s Police. “Drones can also be used for criminal purposes.”

A focus on protecting birds of prey

Guards from Above is adamant that the technique is not harmful to the trained eagles, and is no more dangerous or damaging than the hunts they would carry out in their natural habitats. To ensure no animal cruelty legislations are breached, the company is working closely with the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) to determine whether or not taking down drone propellers damages talons.

“We use the birds’ natural hunting instincts in order to intercept drones. We do this safely, quickly, and accurately,” cited Guards From Above in a recent press release. “The animal instinct of a bird of prey is unique. They are made to be able to overpower fast-moving prey. Sometimes the solution to a hypermodern problem is more obvious than you might think.”

No doubt kinetics plays an integral role in training the eagles to take down drones in the safest and most efficient way possible. ‘Kinetics Measurements with High Sensitivity Spectroscopy ‘Chemical Stoplight’ Reaction Monitoring’ looks at the study of chemical kinetics in more detail, offering readers important information on the rate and mechanism of everyday chemical reactions, from human body cells to the ozone layer in the atmosphere.

Image via Flickr Creative Commons. Photo credits: Bob Harris