Constructing a device to help conservationists in the Dominican Republic spray pesticide on Ridgway’s Hawks nests in order to reduce the harm of Philornis sp. infestation and increase survival rate.
MIT D-Lab class
D-Lab: Leadership in Design (EC.725) - Spring 2025
Country
Dominican Republic
Community partner
Team
Hawk Hackers
- Claudius Tewari (2026) - Course 2A-6 (Mechanical Engineering with EECS Concentration).
- Nicholas Duran (2026) - Course 2 (Mechanical Engineering) and Course 4-B (Art and Design)
- Gabriel Rodriguez Castillo (2025) - Course 11-6 (Urban Studies and Planning & Computer Science)
- Jing Xuan Sun (2026) - Course 6-3 (Computer Science)
Problem and cultural context
The Ridgway’s Hawk is a critically endangered species endemic to the island of Hispaniola. Our partner organization, The Peregrine Fund, has been working to conserve them for over 20 years. A significant threat to their survival are Philornis sp botflies, which lay their eggs in hawk nests and if left untreated, can lead to the death of young hawks. The teams in the Dominican Republic spray permethrin (Permacap - a micro-encapsulated form / extended release) pesticide into nests 10 days before the eggs hatch, increasing the survival rate of the species. However, climbing trees to reach nests can be dangerous, and some trees are unsafe to climb. Climbing is not preferred by the team members, and it needs to be a team effort to prevent hawks from attacking team members.
Given this, the team developed a fiberglass pole that could extend to the top of the trees where the nests were, livestream the spraying process, and remotely spray the nests with pesticide. Our goal was to improve on this initial concept, taking into account feedback from the pain points they had with the current solution and making something they could easily and comfortably use in the field.
Proposed solution
We developed an improved pole solution consisting of a 24-foot carbon fiber extension pole that is much lighter than their current solution. On top of the pole, there is a live streaming action camera, an LED headlamp, and a misting nozzle connecting to a tube that runs down the pole. This tube is connected to a pressure pesticide sprayer.
This design addresses the weight and maneuverability concerns with the current pole, along with using more off-the-shelf parts, making it easier to maintain and replace. Everything on the design is waterproof, making it suitable to operate in bad weather.
Next steps
Our team wants to explore more material options for the pole. The carbon fiber pole is the best material choice from an engineering perspective, but it is somewhat difficult to source and costly. Exploring alternatives for shorter poles, such as bamboo or fiberglass, is something we want to look into.
Another place for improvement is potentially moving the entire sprayer system to the top of the
pole and making it wirelessly operated.
Contact
Ankita Singh or Eliza Squibb, Co-Instructors Leadership in Design