Western Railroad Discussion > Another approach to Drones in wrong places- Reuters

I like this one:

Dutch police train eagles to snatch enemy drones

"It's a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem," spokesman Dennis Janus of the country's national police said"

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-dutch-police-drones-idUSKCN0VB136

Dutch police puzzling over how to remove drones that pose a public safety threat are testing a way to get the job done in one fell swoop - with trained eagles."It's a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem," spokesman Dennis Janus of the country's national police said.The idea arose because amateur use of drones has boomed and police have begun to worry about unlicensed drones flying into off-limit spaces around airports or above public events such as politician's appearances.Possible solutions the Dutch police have studied include shooting nets at the offending drones, remotely hacking them to seize their controls - or taking them out with birds of prey."People sometimes think it's a hoax, but it's proving very effective so far," Janus said.Showing off the technique in a video released by police, a four-propeller drone hovers in the middle of a warehouse, colored lights flashing.Released by her keeper, a white-tailed eagle glides straight toward the drone, clutches it easily in her talons - clack! - and drags it to the ground.Sjoerd Hoogendoorn of "Guard from Above", the company working with police to develop the concept, said the birds must be trained to recognize the drones as prey.They are rewarded with a piece of meat after each successful foray.Their scaly talons are strong and tough enough to seize most consumer-grade drones without injury from the blades, he said."These birds are used to meeting resistance from animals they hunt in the wild, and they don't seem to have much trouble with the drones," he said.The potential impact on the animals' welfare is subject of testing by an external scientific research institute."The real problem we have is that they destroy a lot of drones," Hoogendoorn said. "It's a major cost of testing."Another unknown is how the birds will fare in a crowd situation, he said.A decision by police on whether to move ahead with using the eagles is expected by the end of the year. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Tom Heneghan)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/16 16:08 by TCnR.

My only concern are these beautiful animals getting hurt by the propellers when they make the intercept.

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

mojaveflyer Wrote:
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> My only concern are these beautiful animals
> getting hurt by the propellers when they make the
> intercept.

from the text:

"Their scaly talons are strong and tough enough to seize most consumer-grade drones without injury from the blades, he said."These birds are used to meeting resistance from animals they hunt in the wild, and they don't seem to have much trouble with the drones," he said.The potential impact on the animals' welfare is subject of testing by an external scientific research institute."The real problem we have is that they destroy a lot of drones,"

I'm amazed at the simplicity.
At one of the Euro Summits they had a drone land on the table directly in front of Angela Merkel. The News Video was interesting to see the expression on everybodies face. I guess it's become a priority to find a solution.

I fail to see how this is related to the discussion of western railroads, or what this has to do with trains.

Am I missing something?

Posted from iPhone

walstib Wrote:
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> I fail to see how this is related to the
> discussion of western railroads, or what this has
> to do with trains.
>
> Am I missing something?
>
> Posted from iPhone

It's posted here because there have been many videos of western trains taken by drones posted to this website.

While the videos can be quite impressive in their videography, there is also a definitive risk of the drones crashing and causing injury or damage.

walstib Wrote:
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> I fail to see how this is related to the
> discussion of western railroads, or what this has
> to do with trains.
>
> Am I missing something?
>
> Posted from iPhone

Guilty conscience maybe?

No, not at all.



Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/16 18:03 by walstib.

The idea could make drones less of a security hazard, making them more acceptable and making it less of a hassle to fly a drone in public areas. Photography drones allow for some great videos and also some great still photos just past the tree-line for example.

Perhaps the Technology Board would have been more PC. The Western Board had been my 'go to' page for current events.
No harm intended.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/16 18:28 by TCnR.

It's a cleaner and more targeted solution than blasting away with a shotgun.

But, the eagle will be a lot more effective beyond 50 yards.

Posted from Android

10 gauge don't work, pull out the 50.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> It's a cleaner and more targeted solution than
> blasting away with a shotgun.
>
> But, the eagle will be a lot more effective beyond
> 50 yards.
>
> Posted from Android

SP4360 Wrote:
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> 10 gauge don't work, pull out the 50.
>
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It's a cleaner and more targeted solution than
> > blasting away with a shotgun.
> >
> > But, the eagle will be a lot more effective
> beyond
> > 50 yards.
> >
​Yeah- good responsible talk here.