With drone flights becoming more common, privacy and safety concerns are becoming more troubling. Now a collaboration by three British companies has an answer for anyone who is bothered by the buzzing of drones overhead.
Development of the device, distributed in North American by Liteye Systems, also relied on support from the French, U.K. and U.S. governments, according to the CBC. The shoulder-mounted “rifle” uses a strong directional antenna to aim radio waves at unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), disabling them and keeping them away from your area.
Once hit by the radio waves, the drone will freeze, and when its power fails it will drop to the ground. The technology can be likened to a “digital fence” that can be used by airports or government to keep drones out of sensitive areas. The developers of the ray expect that UAV pilots will not be able to trace who disabled their drone.
There is a concern that more sophisticated drone users will come up with ways to evade the radio wave fences. One possibility is that by programming drones to maintain strict routes, they can avoid areas where radio attacks are known to occur. Thus, basic consumer-use drones may be more susceptible to the radio waves than professional drones.