Robot bird rebooted in battle against pesky pigeons

Published on Friday 19 February 2010 21:40

THIS robot predator may look good but its high-pitched screech and flappable wings weren't enough to fool some particularly wily pigeons.

Now, thanks to an academic at St Andrews University, the artificial avian has been given new powers to terrify hapless victims.

Robop was invented by John Donald, an entrepreneur with a science background, who set up a firm of the same name near Edinburgh in 2001.

Since then Robop has been sold around the world – but it has failed to prove effective in some environments, puzzling its creators.

Mr Donald said: "We had some great successes but in other places it hasn't worked so well and we didn't really understand why."

The problem came to a head when a glass factory in Thailand came seeking a deterrent for pigeons from inside the building.

Mr Donald said: "Our bird was really designed to work outside and high up on top of buildings, not inside, so it was a tricky one for us."

In a bid to find a solution, Robop turned to Interface, a body funded by Scottish universities, which links research departments with businesses.

Through Interface, Mr Donald met Dr Will Cresswell from St Andrews University's biology department.

Dr Cresswell used his 20 years of experience studying the behaviour of avian prey and predators to pinpoint the problem.

He said: "The movement of its head and the screeching noise it made got the attention of the birds and they saw it as a real and present danger.

"But birds, like humans, after a time are not fooled any more."

Wings – flap to simulate actions of the real predator

Head – moves from side to side as if search for prey

Beak – emits a terrifying peregrine-like screech

Markings – replicate those of the genuine predator to fool other bird species that this is a real peregrine

Wheels – used to bring the bird out to provide element of surprise which scares off other birds

After a while the exhausted birds are forced to land, he explained, and when Robop doesn't attack they quickly realise there is nothing to fear.

The solution was to add wheels to Robop so it can be moved in and out of a hiding place at unpredictable times.

Dr Cresswell added: "If Robop disappears it has the same effect next time it pops out and eventually the birds are scared, so often, they give up."

Mr Donald said Dr Cresswell's expertise and the matchmaking of Interface had proven invaluable.

The St Andrews team of experts also included Dr Ewan Chirnside.

Dr Siobhn Jordan, director at Interface, told The Scotsman: "This collaboration between Robop and St Andrews is a win-win situation for both parties, as the insights Dr Cresswell is delivering will help to improve Robop's commercial success and the University of St Andrews will receive royalties on all future Robop sales in return for their consultancy services."

She said there was a wealth of such knowledge, skills and research in Scotland's businesses that could help other companies to overcome business challenges. Robop is used in 15 countries to deter bird pests from a variety of places.

Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, a New York salt mine, golf courses, farms, and even modern office blocks such as Scottish Widows in Edinburgh use one.

However, the Scottish Parliament, which has a notorious problem with pigeons, has so far not shown any interest.

Mr Donald said: "There are so many nooks and crannies in the building that there is never going to be one single solution to deterring the pigeons from the Scottish Parliament. But they might want to have one as a part of their plan. We would certainly welcome their call."

Here are some top tips on how to get rid of problem birds.

&#149 Don't put bird deterrents everywhere, as eventually the birds will become exhausted, land and realise there is no danger after all.

&#149 Keep the element of surprise – if you have a deterrent move it around.

&#149 Understand your prey: pigeons are particularly terrified of owls, as these ruthless predators will pursue their victims even while they are roosting in crannies.

&#149 Noise, movement and mimicking the behaviour of real predators is key to the success of Robop.