Indian airlines have been recently facing a lot of incidents of bird strikes. These incidents are common throughout the aviation industry. However, bird strike incidents are usually not very problematic. Still, if the bird hits any vital part of the aircraft, it can lead to severe accidents causing damage to the plane. The damage caused by the bird strikes can be better understood by the recent cancellations, delays, or return of flights to the origin airport in India. To combat this problem, scientists in China may have found a potent solution with the development of a potent solution using an Artificial incident (AI)-driven system working with lasers.

Based on Simple Flying’s report, a study conducted by Professor Zhao Fan and her colleagues at the Xi’an University of Technology was later published in the peer-reviewed journal Laser & Optoelectronics Progress in April. Four components were used to create the robotic system, which was AI-driven and comprised a camera to detect birds, a tracking video processing module, a laser emitter, and a rotating mirror to reflect and direct the beam. When the AI system spots a bird, it decides to lock on to it as a target and uses the camera and a video processing module to track it in real-time as it continues to fly.

These algorithms direct the painful but non-lethal high-energy laser beam onto the bird until it escapes the constrained airspace. The bird-repelling system can be employed effectively on birds flying at a range of at least 1,000 metres, according to on-site tests.

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The method does not, however, come without its risks. Some civil aviation specialists have highlighted safety concerns about the device, despite the AI-driven laser system’s encouraging results in keeping birds away from the airfield. The laser beams employed on the birds may just be uncomfortable and non-lethal, but they could still endanger the pilots’ vision.

Pilots have been shown to be rendered inoperable by lasers due to momentary blindness, disorientation, and even permanent eye injury. The laser beams could shine on an airplane instead of the bird if the system’s accuracy is less than perfect.