Robotic bird to be deployed at Edmonton International Airport

Robird is produced by Clear Flight Solutions, a University of Twente spin-off company. 

Edmonton International Airport will be the first airport in the world to integrate a full suite of unmanned aerial system (UAS) services into their daily airport operations. Starting in Q2 2017, Clear Flight Solutions (CFS) and AERIUM Analytics will focus on safely integrating UAS technology at the airport – the primary focus of which will be enhancing the airport’s Wildlife Management Plan while supporting continued growth of the Edmonton Metro Region’s aerotropolis.

The Wildlife Management Plan will integrate CFS’s Robird™ technology to guide birds safely away from air traffic, while discouraging nesting near airside operations and glide paths. The Robird has been proven around the globe to be an effective, ecologically-friendly method of bird control. The high-tech Robird mimics the flight of an actual falcon in realistic fashion, making its flight behavior so indistinguishable from its natural counterpart that other birds believe that their natural enemy is present in the area.

“This is truly a historic moment for the entire aviation industry,” said Nico Nijenhuis, CEO of Clear Flight Solutions. “We currently operate our Robirds in a variety of places, but taking the step towards full integration within daily operations at an airport is huge. For years, there has been a lot of interest from airports. To now officially start integrating our operations at a major Canadian airport is absolutely fantastic.”

Front runner in innovation 

As part of the integrated suite of services, CFS AERIUM will be providing UAS mapping and inspections services to support Edmonton International Airport’s maintenance programs and future economic development efforts. These operations will continue from the flight missions that have been diligently conducted prior to this release. The missions were completed to satisfy Safety and Hazard Identification Risk Assessments requirements in addition to demonstrating competency. UAS missions have been conducted under tight supervision within 400m of active runways. CFS AERIUM will continue working awards full integration into airside operations in a professional, safe, and effective manner.

“The Robird was the missing link in our integrated service model,” commented Jordan Cicoria of AERIUM. “Our relationship with Clear Flight Solutions has created an opportunity to have a positive ecologically-friendly impact on local industries at and surrounding the airport. In a world so focused on innovation Edmonton International Airport is an industry front runner and we are proud to have a partnership with Clear Flight Solutions that allows us to actually translate innovation into value.”