Now in jobsite beta testing, a sly engineer has built upon his falconry hobby to train a bird of prey to naturally scan jobsites in lieu of drones. Justin Fowler, a full time engineer on a local project and part time falconer is trying to blend his hobby and work. He has trained a peregrine falcon named The Tool in falconry skills and is adapting those skills to the jobsite. Beyond being all natural, Mr. Fowler has identified several other benefits to using modified falconry on the jobsite.
No FAA coordination required. No FAA operator certification or licensing.
Drones must frequently return to the starting point for battery replacement while falcons can complete a full scan in one flight. This saves time.
Falcons may be able to be trained to spot basic PPE infractions and swoop down to buzz any offenders. Equipped with a camera, safety infractions, as well as, the terror a rule breaker experiences when buzzed can be easily be documented.
No programming or tech skills required.
A bird of prey, like a falcon, is much cooler than a drone to operate.
Falcons are also great at keeping rodents and unwanted animals off jobsites. Have a feral cat problem? According to Mr. Fowler, you won't with a jobsite falcon around.
Justin knows there are skeptics but he thinks he's worked out the potential kinks. Instead of programming scan patterns, he uses markers to establish scanning way points for The Tool (Mr. Fowler's falcon). He simply places them like a surveyor would place regular points or has crews place them as they work.
Where to keep The Tool during off hours may also be a concern for skeptics but an added benefit of The Tool is that it is has been trained to run security during non work hours. Noting how effective his falcon is at keeping would be delinquents out of jobsites, he asks, "Have you ever been buzzed by a little finch? Picture that but with a lot more speed and talons involved. No one has tried to enter again with a falcon in the sky."
***This was another Fake Construction News article. Stay tuned for more.***
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