NSF Award
1350562
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project represents a new development in man?s ability to keep birds away from the airspace surrounding an airplane or out of the way of the massive rotors of wind turbines. Animals respond to a bright ultraviolet light in the same way as humans respond to a bright flashlight in their eyes. If the light is strong enough, it causes an involuntary behavioral response resulting in the animal being deterred from the area of the light source. Ultraviolet light has the advantage of being visible to most species of animals while being invisible to humans. This Phase II project builds on the Phase I project that demonstrated with 98% confidence that bird behavior is influenced by the presence of the wildlife deterrence system?s bright ultraviolet light in a completely natural environment with no human presence. <br/><br/><br/>The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is focused on three high value applications of the wildlife deterrence system. They are renewable alternative energy (wind farms), air transportation (planes and airports), and agriculture (aquaculture and agriculture). Renewable energy is at the top of the U.S. priority list. Wind energy is one of the most promising forms of alternative energy. At the same time, there is an immediate and pressing need to reduce the mortality rate of endangered and protected species at wind farms. A compelling global need for the wildlife deterrence system is exemplified by the aviation industry and the incidence of bird strikes. The U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General reported in August 2012 that in the past two decades, wildlife strikes have increased from 1,770 reported in 1990 to 9,840 reported in 2011, a greater than five-fold increase. Thirdly, although not at the level of importance as protection of aircraft and deterrence of birds from wind farm turbine rotors, worldwide seafood demand has grown annually by 8.3 percent since 1970. This means that worldwide aquaculture production has rapidly expanded. Of particularly promising potential are solutions to the mussel farming problems of the international aquaculture industry which is well established in many parts of the world. All producing locations in North America and Europe share a common problem of severe predation loss from diving ducks such as the Common Eider that can be devastating to the mussel producer, with the potential to wipe out an entire crop (100%).
