An Alberta-based drone company is hoping to take a project keeping birds off of tailings ponds in the oilsands to the next level.
Aerium Analytics was awarded $1 million in funding last month to collaborate with the University of Alberta to create an autonomous drone to scare off the birds.
The current version of the drone, used in the oilsands since 2019, requires a pilot.
The drone mimics a peregrine falcon, “the most world-renowned and feared aerial predators,” according to president and CEO Jordan Cicoria.
6:16Robotic falcon protecting birds from tailings ponds
We’ll talk about how a drone that looks like a falcon is protecting wildlife in the oilsands. 6:16
“It actually flaps its wings,”
