Bird-scaring drone startup scores $1.7M to, well, terrorize birds

Clear Flight Solutions has won €1.6 million (about $1.7 million) to invest in “robird” drones that mimic the flight of peregrine falcons in order to scare other birds away from damaging private property.

This modern scarecrow startup has come out of the University of Twente in the Netherlands, and it wants to prevent the “billions of dollar” damage made by birds at airports every year, which sometimes results in loss of life.

U.S.-based seed investors Cottonwood Euro Technology Fund, which opened its first European office in the Netherlands in July last year, has made the investment. Said Ray Quintana, lead general partner of the Cottonwood Euro Technology Fund,

The bird control problem is much bigger than we initially imagined. Clear Flight Solutions has developed technology with tremendous potential that addresses a global problem. We have also identified various other applications of the technology. That makes this the ideal business case for our first European investment.

It is hoped that using drones will stop the birds from learning how to get around measures made to prevent them nesting. The tech can be applied to other industries, including agriculture, waste management, oil and gas, and harbors.

Nico Nijenhuis, CEO of Clear Flight Solutions, said:

We have completed a very successful trial at waste management site in Twente, which is one of the most challenging environments. Currently, we have committed to a number of trial runs and are in discussion across every application area — including one of the leading European airports. Cottonwood’s investment will allow us to execute these trials, and their worldwide network with industry leaders will bring our company to the next level.

Editor’s note: The animated video explaining the technology is quite droll.

This story originally appeared on Tech City News. Copyright 2015