Aurora will be circulating at Fairbanks Airport in Alaska.
May 23, 2024
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Innovative robot protects airfield from wildlife |
Aurora will patrol Alaska's Fairbanks Airport.
It’s a dog, it’s a fox, it’s a coyote… it’s a robot? A new dog-like robot has arrived on the scene. The robot, built to imitate predators to keep planes and animals safe, is called Aurora and will soon begin a vital mission at Alaska's Fairbanks Airport.
This robot can also dance
according to The VergeThough it's not often discussed, the problem of plane-animal collisions at airports is no small matter: In 2023, 92 animal collisions were reported to the FAA at airports near Alaska — and that's just in Alaska.
Mitigating this problem without harming wildlife requires creative thinking, which is where Aurora comes in. Aurora is a headless robot that is reportedly about the size of a Labrador retriever. euro news. Aurora can climb rocks and stairs, and even do a little dance.
Such a movement is the work of its creators, boston dynamics, it is hoped that this will be part of a strategy to protect the airstrip from wildlife, especially birds migrating in the fall. It may seem silly, but these moves predator movement Things like foxes and coyotes. Northern lights can even disguise themselves as foxes or coyotes, and are expected to cause fear reactions in birds and other wildlife.
DOT even hopes the aurora may act as a deterrent for large animals such as bears and elk.
preferable to real dogs
Aurora is just the latest in a long line of rejected potential solutions to the problem of birds and wildlife at airports. One idea proposed in Alaska was to use drones to spray repellents containing grape juice, but that was deemed too risky.
Similarly, in the 1990s, a herd of pigs was released into the Anchorage airport in hopes of keeping birds away, according to The Verge. The experiment was repeated at Schiphol Airport in 2021. airport In Amsterdam.
Still, despite the fact that Aurora costs about $70,000, the robot is still preferable to a dog, according to Ryan Marlowe, Aurora's robot handler. ““Border collies need food, training and warmth, and they don't collect data for us,” he said. Anchorage Daily News.
There's something about the aurora that evokes joy.It could be dancing or just robot I'm chasing birds. Either way, I hope that the Northern Lights will make airports a little safer for both people and animals.
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Tyki Krakowski,
Contributor
Tiki is a freelance writer, editor, and translator with a passion for writing stories. She believes that by taking small actions, we can make a positive impact on the world. She spends her free time reading, baking, creating art, and walking rescue dogs.
