Shane Mizelle Information Literacy

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Information Literacy
1. "Realistic 'robo-hawks' designed to fly around and terrorize real birds"
2. A company called Clear Flight Solutions have come up with a design for robotic,
remote controlled birds intended to get rid of unwanted bird problems called Robirds.
The robotic birds designed by Nico Nijenhuis and his team at Clear Flight Solutions are
made to look exactly like birds of prey popular to the area where they are being used.
Using a 3D printer the team can imitate the exact shape and color of almost any bird
they need to create. By doing this the hope is that they trick the birds into thinking that
there are real predators around and thus stopping them from coming back to unwanted
places such as landfills and airports. The body of each Robird is made of glass-fiber
nylon composite because it is lightweight and very durable, and the wings are made of
heavy-duty flexible foam. Testing of the birds in the Netherlands have seen bird
populations decrease up to 75% in areas where Robirds have been used, and Clear
Flight Solutions hopes to sell their Robirds to companies worldwide in the near future.
3. Bing: http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/birds/robotic-raptors-rescue
Google: http://www.slashgear.com/this-robot-bird-of-prey-is-designed-to-scare-
real-birds-03344318/
I searched for "Robirds Robotic Birds" on search engines Google and Bing. To
my surprise I was actually more impressed with the results I gathered using Bing than
those I obtained with Google. I am typically a Google only user when it comes to search
engines, but at least on this topic Bing was the clear cut better choice. The results from
Google had a tendency to be repetitive because each website was more or less the
original article I found copied into another website and most of the sites didnt contain a
whole lot of material on the subject. However the Bing search results were mostly all
different articles about Robirds that didnt stem from one single article and had a far
more amount of information on each site.
4. Bing: "Robotic Raptors to the Rescue"
Time The article was published 08/05/2014
Relevance The article describes the uses of the robotic flying birds, Robirds, and how
they are made and operate
Authority The article was published by Emma Bryce, who has been a strong
contributor for the Audubon Magazine for close to 2 years. She has published many
other publishing's on birds for the magazine, which is the flagship journal of the National
Audubon Society focusing on subjects pertaining to nature with an emphasis on birds in
particular.


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Accurate The information in the article is very accurate because it contains many
quotes and official videos which came from the company who designed Robirds, Clear
Flight Solutions.
Purpose The purpose of the article was to inform people about the technological
breakthrough in the making, which could really help companies and industries
worldwide.
5. Keywords used: Robirds, Robotic Birds
1. "Robirds: Robotic birds of prey - battling nature with "nature""
2. "Chasing Nature"
The databases I used were Environment Complete, Science Full Text Select (H.W.
Wilson). I chose these databases because I felt they were the only ones that could
assist me in finding the information I needed on robotic birds. The Environment
Complete database would ensure I found things about birds and nature, while the
Science Full Text Select would assist me in finding the robotics aspect of my search.
6. In comparison to the use of the search engines and the articles I found using
them, the CCBC library databases were far inferior. First of all in order to gain full
access to the databases I had to create an account on the CCBC library's website. So
right off the bat I was frustrated with the databases because in the time it took to set up
an account, I would have already found numerous articles about my subject using a
search engine. In addition the number of articles I found about my subject using the
databases were minimal, and most of those that I found were more than a few years
old. However the search engines gave me a vast number of different articles that were
just about all from within the last month. Possibly the only positive things about using a
database would be the credibility of the articles and how easy they make it to cite your
sources. On the other hand the articles I found using the search engines were both very
credible because they came from major websites, one specialize in the advancement of
technology and the other being the website for a major nature organization. Also
through the uses of websites like Easy Bib, citing your online sources has become an
easy task. After my experience I dont foresee any circumstance where I would use the
databases over the use of a search engine.






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Works Cited (MLA)
Bryce, Emma. "Robotic Raptors to the Rescue." Audubon Magazine. N.p., 5 Aug. 2014.
Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
Nijenhuis, Nico. "Robirds: Robotic Birds Of Prey - Battling Nature With "Nature."
International Pest Control 56.3 (2014): 140-141. Environment Complete. Web. 21 Sept.
2014.
SIMONITE, TOM. "Chasing Nature." Technology Review 114.5 (2011): 30-37. Science
Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
Torres, JC. "This Robot Bird of Prey Is Designed to Scare Real Birds." SlashGear. N.p.,
3 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
Vanhemert, Kyle. "Realistic 'robo-hawks' Designed to Fly around and Terrorize Real
Birds." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.