Robird to make its first airport flights

Robird has been developed by Clear Flight Solutions to scare away birds in airports and waste processing

The Robird, a remotely-controlled bird of prey, is set to make its first flights in Weeze Airport in Germany next year. 

The Robird is the flagship product of Clear Flight Solutions - a robotics and drone spin-off company of the University of Twente which developed Robird to scare away birds in airports and waste processing.

The company says it has chosen Weeze due to the more relaxed rules, as well as the relatively limited amount of air traffic there. The airport handles around 2.5 million passengers annually, most of whom come from the Netherlands. Schiphol Airport handles 55 million passengers annually. 

“Finally, this is a historic step for the Robird and our company,” said Nico Nijenhuis, master's student at the University of Twente and the chief executive of Clear Flight Solutions. “We already fly our Robirds and drones at many locations, and doing this at an airport for the first time is really significant. Schiphol Airport has been interested for many years now, but Dutch law makes it difficult to test there. The situation is easier in Germany, which is why we are going to Weeze.”

In addition to testing the Robird, the company will also train the Robird’s ‘pilot’ and ‘observer’ (who watches other air traffic). ‘If you operate at an airport, there are a lot of protocols that you have to follow’, says Nijenhuis. ‘You’re working in a high-risk area and there are all kinds of things that you need to check. We use the latest technologies, but the human aspect also remains crucial.’

The company was recently the beneficiary of an investment of €1.6 million from Cottonwood Euro Technology Fund. This investment has enabled Clear Flight Solutions to become a global leader in the field of bird management. ‘We have grown tremendously and we now employ 15 people’, says Nijenhuis. ‘We have also become much more multidisciplinary. We even have a retired 747 captain on our team now, especially to help us with the airport projects. He knows the rules, so his input is very valuable.’