Wildlife strikes pose a major risk to aviation safety, prompting the need for innovative, autonomous solutions. The FLITE project, conducted by Flox Robotics in partnership with Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) and Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility & Electrification, aimed to validate, test, and refine an AI-driven, drone-based wildlife management system for airports. The project ran from August to December 2024, with FAA, USDA, and airport wildlife management teams as key stakeholders.

Methodology

The project focused on:

• Regulatory Compliance: Investigating FAA and USDA regulations for autonomous drone operations in wildlife management.
• System Validation: Testing dock-based drones for wildlife detection, deterrence, and herding.
• Pilot Testing: Deploying Flox Edge bio-acoustic IoT devices at wildlife hotspots for data collection.
• Commercial Packaging: Preparing Flox’s solution for scalable adoption in U.S. airports.