A Remote Egg-oiling System with Autonomous and Automated Target Object Identification for Nuisance Bird Management

Leveraging our experience and expertise in robot development and system integration (hardware and software) as well as deep learning for agricultural applications, Hitron Technologies Inc. (HTI) proposes to develop an Intelligent Remote Egg Oiling System (IREOS), with the collaboration of University of South Carolina (USC). The IREOS allows for effective nuisance bird management by performing autonomous navigation, automated target objective identification, and egg oiling processes in a reliable fashion. The proposed IREOS system is based on an unmanned aerial vehicle platform with an intelligent machine vision system and onboard computing and deep learning capability, allowing for on-the-go, real-time target bird nest object detection and feedback control for egg oiling. With centralized and compact system design, the IREOS can reliably self-navigate in complex environments. Our Phase-I work will establish a viable design plan or system framework for each IREOS hardware or software subsystem, such that implementation of a working prototype may begin immediately in Phase-II.