Aerial vaccination of foxes - Control system

Call

Bioveta and Elmontex were looking for a solution for fully automated control of aerial vaccination of foxes against rabies. The goal was to create a system that would reliably administer vaccines in flight, avoid prohibited areas (e.g. water bodies or settlements), and record the entire course of action. Two versions of the device were required: a vaccine dispenser and a registration unit.

Our solution

We have developed a complete electronic system for controlling the drop of vaccines from aircraft, controlled by GPS data and map data:

• Control unit with embedded Linux, integrating maps of forbidden areas and algorithm for calculation of optimal dosing density.
• Automatic drop control – vaccines are dropped according to the current position and planned route.
• Double recording (logging) of all events and data to a storage medium for later auditing and analysis.
• Simple operation – touch panel in the aircraft + remote control option.
• Precise mechanical dispensing – the vaccine tape is fed through a cooling tunnel where the packaging is cut and the vaccines are directed into the reservoir.
• Manual and automatic drop mode – the operator can control the device manually if necessary.

We designed the device to be durable, stable and easy to use even during flight.

Result

The system has been successfully used for routine aerial vaccination provided as part of prevention programmes. The device increases the efficiency, safety and traceability of the whole event. Thanks to the possibility of detailed backward data analysis, routes and dosage can be optimised. The solution has been deployed in real operations and has proven to be robust, accurate and easy to use even in the demanding environment of aviation technology.