Lucknow, Feb. 28 -- A team of three young innovators is drawing attention in Uttar Pradesh's aquaculture sector with an AI-powered autonomous boat designed to protect fish ponds from bird attacks. The system was showcased at the two-day AquaEx Lucknow 2026 exhibition held at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan.

The startup, Pond Patrol, founded by Rajat Khandelwal, claims its mobile, AI-driven solution can significantly reduce bird-related crop losses. The system is currently being implemented on a 10-acre fish farm in Bahraich district as part of a pilot project.

"Fish farmers often lose 30 to 50% of their crop to bird attacks if there is no proper monitoring. Manual guarding reduces losses, but it demands 8 to 12 hours of daily labour," said Ra...