I have an orchard and need a drone that chases birds.Many pit fiuit (peaches, prunes, apricot, cherries) are susceptible to bird damage during a few weeks of the year.Netting trees is expensive and labor intensive.My son has been building RC model planes and model blimps.How can a small drone mark a territory and protect it?Ideally the drone would look into the sky from the ground.See a bird against the sky and chase it out of the protected zone.
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Builds remote controlled falcons, used at for instance airports to scare away birds. I don't know if he's at all developing towards unmanned applications, but you could try contacting him. I've spoken to him last year and he's trying to build a business around his invention, so I'd guess protecting orchards could mean a potential market to him.
As you're from the US you'll be safer just camping there with a shotgun and a load of birdshot. Shooting all around is okay, but leaving a drone in the air unattended gives the FAA nightmares.
On a more serious note, the chasing part will be difficult to implement. Chasing a dark point against bright sky is relatively easy, but what if the bird gets below the UAV's flight level?
Also you'd have to automate some kind of refueling/recharging system (assuming you don't want to man the system 24/7).
Birds of prey are good pattern flyers (birdwatching is one of my hobbies), and I think that just seeing a large bird circling above the orchard would scare a some of the pests away. But you're still stuck with the logistics of refueling.
Your son has been building blimps - wouldn't it be possible to maybe have a 5 ft bird-shaped blimp made from PVC, painted to look like a hawk, inflated with helium and tethered above the orchard? Or more of them. That would be cheap, safe (no need to go picking pieces after a wind gust) and (at least on paper) effective. Adding a lightweight music player with hawk calls, a timer and a speaker would make it even better :]
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEw1lwdcL6E&feature=player_embedded
It's called Delfly and has been developed by students Delft University of Technology. You can find more cool videos and info on www.delfly.nl
it features an onboard camera and beyond line-of-sight operation, not too sure about full autonomy though.
Builds remote controlled falcons, used at for instance airports to scare away birds. I don't know if he's at all developing towards unmanned applications, but you could try contacting him. I've spoken to him last year and he's trying to build a business around his invention, so I'd guess protecting orchards could mean a potential market to him.
On a more serious note, the chasing part will be difficult to implement. Chasing a dark point against bright sky is relatively easy, but what if the bird gets below the UAV's flight level?
Also you'd have to automate some kind of refueling/recharging system (assuming you don't want to man the system 24/7).
Birds of prey are good pattern flyers (birdwatching is one of my hobbies), and I think that just seeing a large bird circling above the orchard would scare a some of the pests away. But you're still stuck with the logistics of refueling.
Your son has been building blimps - wouldn't it be possible to maybe have a 5 ft bird-shaped blimp made from PVC, painted to look like a hawk, inflated with helium and tethered above the orchard? Or more of them. That would be cheap, safe (no need to go picking pieces after a wind gust) and (at least on paper) effective. Adding a lightweight music player with hawk calls, a timer and a speaker would make it even better :]
Chasing it away well thats another thing!!
Of course as this is protecting crop you would be receiving commercial gain so depending on where you are might be illegal.
Get him to build one of these http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=950519 and see if the birds are frightened before going automatic!!