SBIR Phase I: Remotely Operated Avian Management

Hardshell Labs, Inc., Joshua Tree CA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 project is the facilitation of more widespread and affordable wildlife research, management, and monitoring through the use of internet-connected devices. Internet-mediated human control of laser hazing devices may provide cost-effective damage reduction in agricultural settings. The research is founded on the ability of lasers to repel a wide variety of birds. Human oversight will benefit from remote operation, allowing the research and development activtities to be conducted at a fraction of the cost of an on-site presence. The immediate problem addressed is avian damage. agricultural losses, predation on sensitive species, and aviation hazards. Refining and expanding the proposed model may broaden the range of solvable conservation problems. The proposed system seeks to allow one person to simultaneously operate multiple internet connected devices. The creation of reliable, remote management tools may broaden the scope and improve the efficiency of natural resource management. By allowing remote wildland views and providing opportunities for positive intervention, the technology may increase public engagement with the natural world through formal and informal education, improve the understanding of resource protection issues, and enhance public commitment to solving environmental challenges. The development of a fully integrated, remotely-operable network of internet-connected, artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced laser devices for repelling pest birds from valuable agricultural assets is proposed. The primary project goal of the project is to make non-lethal pest bird management more effective, easy, and affordable in agricultural, conservation, and commercial settings that are often remote. Phase 1 research and development will cover the creation and initial field testing of a laser array that is remotely controlled by internet connected operators. Phase 1 performance metrics will focus on reliability and ease of use as there are significant operational challenges in various settings (e.g., lack of wi-fi connectivity in wilderness and remote locations, laser safety, etc.). The project seeks to establish a template for the reliable, remote operation of a wide array of human-controlled devices via internet connections supplemented, where appropriate, with artificial intelligence. This technology may facilitate the wide adoption of more efficient approaches to wildland research, monitoring, and management as the physical presence of the operator will not be required. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.