FORGET about boring old scarecrows and traditional bird deterrents because Japan has just entered the chat with high-tech poultry protection.
A major telecommunications company has come up with what might be the most dramatic way to shoo away unwanted feathered visitors.
Are laser drones being used to protect chickens in Japan?
Verdict:
TRUE
"You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!", said Dr Evil from the 1997 movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. While Japan has stopped short of arming aquatic predators, the core concept of laser-based defence is now a reality on poultry farms, where high-tech drones are being deployed to protect chicken stocks from diseases such as avian flu.
NTT e-Drone Technology Co., Ltd worked closely with NTT East Japan Co., Ltd and the government of Chiba Prefecture to develop the drone laser system.
The idea is to reduce or eliminate the spread of avian influenza from unwanted feathered visitors like crows and pigeons that fancy themselves as unwelcome dinner guests.
Many countries have faced devastating losses of livestock due to avian flu, and prevention is key in this instance, as the solution to any infection discovered is usually a drastic cull.
"Between January and February 2025, a severe situation unfolded within Chiba Prefecture, resulting in the culling of over 3.3 million poultry," NTT said in its press release on the new laser drone system.
Some bird flu strains, such as H5N1, are also a danger to humans, especially farmers and those in close contact with their hens.
Birds can spread the flu virus via their physical presence by entering a henhouse, for example, or via droppings.
This means it is important to act quickly to scare them off, and NTT's drones with deterrent lasers seem like they are a good fit for this peculiar task.
The proposed BB102 drone fires a beam that is split into many rays rather than a single concentrated laser, proving that when it comes to protecting chickens, more is more.
These are both red and green rays, chosen for their proven ability to ward off pigeons, crows, starlings and deer.
Moreover, the laser is intermittent, flickering on and off to prevent birds and animals from settling in gaps between its rays, essentially turning the farm into a disco party that no wild bird wants to attend.
An auto-navigating drone is sent up to scare the birds off when they are detected visiting poultry farms.
Local government subsidies will help farmers pay for systems like this one from NTT, making high-tech chicken defence more affordable for hardworking agricultural workers.
It is noted that this automated anti-feral bird drone is preferable to manually chasing visiting birds or animals away or using noise or chemical substances.
The system represents technology meeting agriculture in the most spectacular way possible, transforming ordinary chicken coops into fortified laser-protected compounds.
References:
2. https://futurism.com/
