US Army unveils new ‘cyborgs’ to protect its air bases
Most people use scarecrows to scare birds off – but not the US army, and for good reason. They elected to use a pack of cyborg coyotes. The aim is to use the unmanned vehicles as a deterrent for birds and other ‘problematic wildlife’ from their air bases. So they have created these life-sized plastic coyotes that are mounted on top of autonomous vehicles, known affectionately as the Coyote Rovers (Picture: ERDC / SWNS)
What is the purpose of the Coyote Rovers?
The US Army Engineer Research and Development Centre (ERDC) developed these robotic creatures with the aim to help biologists and managers at military airfields to deter any pesky creatures that could pose a risk to flight crews, aircrafts and operations. And during a trial, the Coyote Rovers proved to be a successful tactic (Picture: ERDC / SWNS)
In their Linkedin Post showing off the Rovers, the ERDC said: ‘It all comes down to scare tactics. Last year, ERDC began collaborating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) in Ohio to further test the system’s efficacy at deterring wildlife through various research trials. Successful demonstrations of the system were held at Naval Air Stations Whiting Field and Pensacola in Florida and Fort Campbell in Kentucky, clearing the path for the project’s future development’ (Picture: ERDC / SWNS)
How much of an issue can birds be?
Turns out, birds can be a massive issue. In 2014, four US servicemen were killed when a flock of geese smashed through the windscreen of their military helicopter, and caused it to crash into the north Norfolk coast. In fact, the Bird Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard reported that in the years between 2007 to 2016, the US Airforce revealed there were 45,400 wildlife strikes which led to more than $251 million worth of damage (Picture: Getty)
How were the Coyote Rovers made?
They look low tech, and reports suggest they cost around $2,500 - $3,000 each to make. The Rovers took around five years in development. These new creations can reach 20mph. However, the eventual goal is to equip them with the capability of other drones. This includes programmed routes and exclusion zones, adaptation to rough terrain, and the ability to recharge themselves for days of autonomous operation, as well as the ability to identify specific species of birds or animals and for the best deterrent tactics (Picture: ERDC / SWNS)
Initially the US army was going to use the Boston Dynamic Robot Spot as their deterrent, however, it was not really intimidating and far too slow. Speaking to the Army Times, ERDC research wildlife biologist Jacob Jung said: ‘What we found out quickly was, because it had such a slow approach speed, that it did more of just pushing animals out of the way once it finally got close enough to them, than it did really scaring them off’ (Picture: Getty)
There have been many ways the US military have attempted to deter birds. In Bangor, Washington, the Navy hired hawk handlers to drive away seagulls that were damaging submarines and harassing workers. The Air Force has special radars for detecting birds as well as a monitoring system that reports ‘bird strike risk intensity levels’ from zero to eight. Other examples include prairie dog mapping and putting GPS tracking collars on real coyotes (Picture: Getty)
