Category: Uncategorized

Ag-Tech Launch @ ANU

Posted Laura TingLeave a commentPosted in Uncategorized

On the 24th of August, Wildlife Drones joined members from the Australian National University (ANU), CSIRO, and other Ag-Tech entrepreneurs to celebrate the launch of the new Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (CEAT). The Centre intends on supporting the research and development of technologies that will advance the future of farming. CEAT is located in the heart of ANU’s science hub, and intends on facilitating collaborations between academics and industry stakeholders. The event was attended by ANU’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Brian Schmidt, who noted on his latest blog post that, “If more than 8 billion of us are going to live happily on our […]

Machine Vision and Drone Radio-tracking the Future for Livestock Management?

Posted Laura TingLeave a commentPosted in Radio-tracking drones, Uncategorized

The management of livestock is rapidly evolving with the onset of new technological developments. A paper published in Livestock Science by Nasirahmadi and colleagues reviewed the use of machine vision for observing the behaviour of cattle and pigs, and revolutionising how the health and well-being of animals can be monitored. Through the use of machine vision, the challenges associated with the more traditional “hands-on” approaches to monitoring livestock are virtually eliminated. According to the authors of this paper, machine vision techniques allow for automatic, non-contact, low stress, and cost-effective means for managing livestock. For instance, the live weight of individual […]

Take Flight with Wildlife Drones

Posted Laura TingLeave a commentPosted in Environmental Drones, Radio-tracking drones, Uncategorized

Over the weekend, Debbie took to the skies with her drone and managed to capture some beautiful footage of the Canberra region. The rest of the team were so  impressed by the outcome of her weekend adventures, that our science communication intern, Laura, couldn’t resist but to compile our favourite clips into not one, but TWO videos to share with you all! As a result, we have started a YouTube channel and Instagram account so we can document our future drone flights and other Wildlife Drones news.  

First Wednesday Connects

Posted debbiesaundersLeave a commentPosted in Uncategorized

We enjoyed the challenge of giving a 60 second pitch in front of hundreds of people at the Canberra Innovation Network‘s monthly First Wednesday Connect networking event held at the new  ACT Renewables Innovation Hub. It was a great night that included an opening by Shane Rattenbury MLA and the opportunity to meet lots of diverse and interesting people within the Canberra innovation scene.  

Wildlife Drones Meet X’s Project Wing

Posted Laura TingLeave a commentPosted in Uncategorized

We enjoyed meeting Alphabet’s inspiring X Project Wing team (formerly Google X), including members who were visiting from the US, to do some trials here in Canberra as they look to expand their drone delivery service area. They have been successfully undertaking drone deliveries in nearby Royalla and are now preparing for deliveries within suburban areas. This is now possible given they have built multiple levels of redundancy into their drones to ensure safe manoeuvring within cluttered environments. It was inspiring to hear about the ground-breaking development work they are doing with regulators and the broader aviation community for an […]

Wildlife Drones gets their Wings

Posted Laura Ting1 CommentPosted in Uncategorized

Debbie obtained her CASA Remote Pilot License in 2016 and has enjoyed continuously expanding her skill base in terms of safe and reliable flying of UAVs or drones ever since.  However, she has now taken this to the next level by successfully achieving CASA accreditation as Chief Remote Pilot for Wildlife Drones’ Operators Certificate. Her path to accreditation has involved significantly expanding her knowledge of both the regulatory and operational requirements of flying drones safely within the commercial sector. She has particularly loved incorporating her passion for maps and navigation when scoping and planning drone flights for customers.  This includes […]

Wildlife Drones seed investment round is here!

Posted debbiesaundersLeave a commentPosted in Uncategorized

We are super excited to be invited to pitch at the Capital Angels Investment Evening tonight.  It should be a great event with a number of other exciting businesses joining Wildlife Drones in seeking investment so they can take their business to the next level. Want to be a part of the world’s most advanced animal radio-tracking drone business?  Come along to see us pitching tonight and join our journey, or get in touch if you’d like to find out more!  @LHinnovates @Craig_A_Davis

Ducks, Drones, and Data

Posted Laura TingLeave a commentPosted in Uncategorized

Can drones really be an accurate way to survey animal populations? Researchers at the University of Adelaide recently set out to prove this. In their #EpicDuckChallenge, the team set up a colony of plastic ducks along an Adelaide beach. They then compared the accuracy of counting the ducks from the ground to counting the colony from photographs captured by the drone. The use of drones proved far superior – with the data being ‘between 43% and 96% more accurate than ground counts.’ This shows us how visual drone imagery can be used to monitor animal populations. The question now stands, […]