Bird strikes can bring down an airplane — as when Captain Chesley Sullenberger was forced to land a jet on the Hudson River in 2009. The issue remains a serious concern for airlines, but four inventive 12-year-olds from Utah may have developed a promising solution.
The Federal Aviation Administration notes that bird strikes are made worse because birds grow used to conventional deterrents such as noise or fireworks. The sixth-graders experimented with a range of approaches — sound systems, power washing and even robots — but those methods failed to keep birds away consistently.
Calling themselves the Bionic Porcupines 2.0, the students discovered that unpredictable motion is an effective deterrent. They created a device they named the Bionic Scarecrow, which resembles a small version of the inflatable air dancers commonly seen at car dealerships and events. Because its movement is random and eye-catching, the Scarecrow discourages birds from settling in areas where aircraft operate.
A pilot program at Salt Lake City Airport, which lies along a major migratory route, produced encouraging results. The project received recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency and the North American Bird Strike Conference. The students went on to patent their design and have drawn interest from other airports. They are currently fundraising to finance a trip to Washington, D.C., where they plan to accept an EPA award.