#45: Robot coyote prototype blends engineering with natural world expertise

Bird strikes are a persistent and costly threat to aviation safety. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, more than 13,000 strikes are reported in the U.S. each year, costing hundreds of millions in damages and endangering both civilian and military aircraft. We are joined by ERDC’s Dr. Jake Jung and Dr. Brian Washburn with the U.S. Department of Agriculture – both research wildlife biologists – to discuss how these two organizations are working to develop innovative tools and techniques to address this complex problem. Among the innovations discussed is the “robot coyote,” a ground-based drone that has shown tremendous potential in helping manage the vast spaces of civilian and military airfields, keeping people and aircraft safe. During this episode, we explore the natural factors that attract birds and other wildlife to airfields (1:34), current techniques and technologies being used to deter them (3:52), and the genesis for the idea that led to the development of the Robot Coyote system (09:16). We also discuss early prototypes and testing of the system (14:03), how the platforms could be deployed on military and civilian airfields across the country (17:29), what capabilities the upgraded version of the Robot Coyotes may have (25:21), and how the story of the Robot Coyotes became a viral sensation during the summer of 2025 (32:01). Watch a video of this podcast on our website at www.PowerofERDCPodcast.org/45-robot-coyote_video. You can also see additional resources at www.PowerofERDCPodcast.org/45-robot-coyote_resources.