Validate

deterrence effectiveness through real-world field trials

Quantify

economic savings and environmental benefits (e.g., CO₂ reductions).

Integrate

rural farmers' feedback into system refinement.

Prepare

the drone system for commercial market entry, ensuring affordability.

FLOX Icareus project by Flox Robotics

The FLOX ICAERUS project develops and tests an AI and robotics-equipped drone system for managing wildlife in agricultural fields. FLOX Robotics is a Swedish technology company specializing in drone-based, AI-powered wildlife management solutions. They aim to solve the rising conflict between agriculture and wildlife sustainably. Expertise in: Drones & autonomous robotics, Wildlife biology & agriculture, Embedded AI systems, Sustainable innovation for rural communities.

waves

Fully autonomous drone with pre-defined patrolling routes, remote monitoring via secure dashboard, cloud-supervised system management.

  • RGB cameras for daytime wildlife detection
  • Thermal cameras for nighttime detection
  • Onboard AI processing unit (wildlife recognition models)
  • Species-specific acoustic broadcast system
  • RTK/GPS for high-precision flight
  • Real-time detection and classification of wildlife
  • Logging encounter data (species, time, location, response)
  • Measuring deterrence success per species and context
  • Feeding data into adaptive AI models for continuous system improvement
  • Data privacy and GDPR compliance

Outcomes

  1. MVP prototype field-tested in various real farming environments
  2. TRL increased from 5 (lab validation) to 6 (relevant environment validation)
  3. Successful deterrence of deer, birds and wild boar recorded
  4. Farmers reported perceived reduction in wildlife intrusions
  5. Commercialization preparations ongoing (focus on access for smallholders)

Challenges Faced

  • Variability in field conditions required dynamic AI model adjustments
  • Cost containment essential to ensure system is affordable to small-scale farmers
  • Navigation of European and Swedish drone regulatory frameworks
  • Maintaining active engagement from farmers across project phases

Impact (Socio-economic & Environmental)

Socio-economic Impacts: Reduced economic losses from crop damage, improved farm incomes and resilience, strengthened rural livelihoods

Environmental Impacts: Reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to traditional patrol methods, non-lethal, species-specific wildlife management, contribution to EU biodiversity and sustainability goals