Skip to main content

Dutch engineers will soon use robo-falcons to scare real birds away from airport runways

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… mechanical falcon?!

Next February a life-like, robotic bird called the Robird will make its maiden flight above Weeze Airport near the Dutch border in Germany. Developed by engineers at the University of Twente in association with Clear Flight Solutions, the Robird is designed to imitate the flight patterns of the world’s fastest animal –the peregrine falcon– in an effort to scare away nuisance birds. 

Recommended Videos

Weeze Airport will serve as a testing ground for Robird. Clear Flight Solutions’s drones already sees airtime elsewhere but have only just been approved for flight at an airport, where protocols can be prohibitively strict. “Schipol Airport has been interested for many years now,” University of Twente Master’s student and Clear Flight Solutions CEO, Nico Nijenhuis, said in a press release, “but Dutch law makes it difficult to test there. The situation is easier in Germany…” 

Along with testing the Robird, Clear Flight Solution plans to train the drones’ “pilots” and “observers,” who look out for other air traffic. Nijenhuis admits that the high-risk environment of an airport demands caution and awareness. Even the best technologies are only so effective without human guidance.

And accidents can happen even with human guidance. Just this weekend, a pilot reported that his British Airways Airbus A320 may have collided with a drone while landing at London’s Heathrow airport.

We Create Birds

But at airports birds are a much bigger nuisance than drones. Airport bird control worldwide costs billions of dollars, according to the press release. The waste disposal, shipping, and oil industries also apparently spend billions on avian pest control. The Robird may be an effective and affordable solution.

Last March, Clear Flight Solutions, a spin-off company from the University of Twente, received an investment of €1.6 million ($1.81 million) that enabled them to focus their efforts on the field of bird management. Nijenhuis says his team has grown steadily since then, with the addition of a 747 pilot to assist with airport projects.

The company still has trouble getting permission to test at airports though. Nijenhuis voiced disappointment with the Netherlands’s sensitivity to drone testing. The Robird testing may have been approved at Weeze, but the relatively small German airport handles about 2.5 million passengers each year — which is nothing compared to the 55 million passengers that flow through the Netherlands’ Schipol airport every year.

Dyllan Furness
Former Contributor
Dyllan Furness is a freelance writer from Florida. He covers strange science and emerging tech for Digital Trends, focusing…
The Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the $7,500 tax credit
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

After a brief and confusing absence, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit — and this time, it's sticking around (at least for now). So, what happened? Let’s unpack the ride.

The Ioniq 5, a sleek and tech-savvy electric crossover, initially made headlines not just for its design, but for being built at Hyundai’s brand-new Metaplant in Georgia. That domestic assembly qualified it for the EV tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires vehicles to be made in North America with batteries sourced from trade-friendly countries. But early in 2025, the Ioniq 5 vanished from the list. Why? Likely due to its battery packs, which were then still being sourced from SK On’s Hungarian facility.

Read more
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more