A company in Australia is suffering huge losses due to Eagles, and there doesn't seem to be an end to this aerial battle any time soon. The company known as St Ives Mine, has lost around nine drones to eagles, which amounts to more than $100,000 in monetary losses.
From what we've come to understand, the drones used are Trimble UX5 brand, and each costs $10,000 to own. Not only that, the mounted cameras also cost $10,000, so overall, a single drone could cost a whopping $20,000 to operate.
Mine surveyor Rick Steven, says eagles are the natural enemy of UAVs in Australia, and he has worked to solved this problem several times with mixed results. With so many drones being lost, Steven had to come up with some ingenious plan to keep the drones in the sky, free from eagle attacks.
How Did Steven Combat The Eagles?
The idea was to trick the eagles into believing the drones are actually baby eagles. This way, the drones won't get attacked and destroyed. Steven said it worked, but only for a time. The eagles adapted to the situation and eventually realized that these flying things are not chicks.
Despite the failures of his baby eagle plan, he appeared to have gotten the first eagle selfie known to man.
"I was flying the tailings dam out at St Ives and I was getting attacked by two eagles simultaneously," says Stevens in an interview with ABC News.
"I was trying to fly my UAV away from them and all of a sudden, at a high point, the eagle came down and sunk both its claws into the inside of the control box of the UX5. It turned the UX5 sideways and took a photo of the other eagle as it was coming in to attack."
He may now have come up with a better idea to fly the drones and keep out of the eye sight of eagles. According to Steven, he knows eagles prefer to fly when there is more thermal activity. Because of this, the idea is to send the drones out during the early mornings before the heat arises.
Nevertheless, if he comes across an eagle, the flight plan will be immediately canceled because no one wants to be losing drones costing $10,000 each.
While these folks are busy trying to protect their drones from birds, Domino's Pizza establishment is more concerned with having drones deliver pizza to our houses. This will begin first in New Zealand, and if the plan is successful, expect a slow rollout to other parts of the world.
It should be noted that Star Wars drones preorder begins this week, so go ahead and get your favorite drone, and do know, the force is definitely with you.
