Airware startup combats rhino poaching with
cutting edge drones in Kenya!!
By Jacques Coetzee
 |
| Image by: Ben Coley |
Where there’s a problem, there’s a buck to be
made. In Africa, wildlife conservation is one of those problems. While Kenya
lost 50 rhinos in 2013 alone, South Africa recorded a massive
loss of 946. Robotics startup Airware recently announced that it has partnered with
East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary Ol Pejeta
Conservancy to demonstrate a drone specifically designed for
conservation.
Originally based in San Francisco but
currently operating in Kenya, Airware is showcasing anti-poaching UAVs
(unmanned aerial vehicle) in an effort to demonstrate an effective and
innovative tool for wildlife conservation.
This is not the first time a company has set
up shop to allow its innovations to take its course for the greater good. Last
year in June, Google donated US$5-million to the World Wildlife Federation in
an effort to fund a drone program aimed at relieving poaching in areas such as
Nepal and Sub-Saharan Africa — showing it’s an area left in dire need of
innovation.
Moreover, the technology will also make it
possible for the conservancy to conduct wildlife censuses more frequently and
effectively. Robots and wildlife, who would have thought?
By using Airware’s autopilot platform and
control software, the drone acts as a surveillance tool, sending real-time
digital video and thermal imaging feeds of animals and poachers alike to
rangers on the ground. From launch to land, the flight is completely autonomous
and requires only minimal training.
Compared to the alternative of a conventional
manned aircraft, UAVs pose a cost effective method of scouting Africa’s vast
wildlife plains. Not only is it only cost-effective, this technology could shed
some light on a potential area where local companies can place their bets.
Apart from wildlife conservation, the drone
industry is showing massive potential for other areas suggests Airware CEO
Jonathan Downey. “The commercial drone space is a major growth market with
applications like precision agriculture, infrastructure inspection and search
and rescue,” Downey says.
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