Drone security

There are now a number of systems in which "good" drones are used to disable "enemy" drones, such as those conducting spying missions. A new system takes a safer approach to the task, in that the captured drones don't simply plummet to the ground.

Over the years, we've seen a number of drones that are designed to capture other drones. One of the latest, aptly named the Drone Interceptor, utilizes detachable net-pulling propellers to get the job done.

The hoverfly has an extraordinary ability to see and track moving objects in very low light, and Australian researchers have replicated its signal-to-noise-boosting vision systems to process sound data, detecting and tracking drones up to 4 km away.

Flying drones are already used to patrol outdoor areas, but indoors where GPS doesn't work? Not so much. That could be about to change, though, with the launch of the Tando system.

For people such as soldiers, security officials and airport workers, drones aren't always a welcome sight. That's why drone-jamming guns were developed, and the new Paladyne E1000MP "pistol" is said to be one of the most compact on the market.

Robotics engineers from Sandia National Laboratories are developing drones that can capture hostile drones in flight. The MARCUS project uses swarms of four unmanned quad-copters working in concert to intercept a drone and catch it in a net.

DroneShield's latest offering takes the mobility factor up a notch with a system that can be mounted to the top of almost any vehicle, equipping it with the tools to dismantle suspicious drones coming from all directions.

The US Air Force has taken delivery of its first high-energy laser for shooting down Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Built by Raytheon, it will be used in overseas deployments as part of a year-long experiment.

Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey hopes his company's Interceptor drone can help with national security by knocking other drones out of the air.

DroneShield's newly announced DroneGun MkIII uses the same frequency-jamming tactics as the company's other offerings, but is designed to work in a tighter radius with one-handed operation for a quick and easy draw.

​Irresponsibly-piloted drones can cause a lot of problems, such as when they're flown into restricted airspaces. And while anti-drone measures do exist, many cause the aircraft to fall to the ground, potentially harming bystanders. A new system, however, takes remote control of rogue drones.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has announced new plans to put drones into the air over the Big Apple, listing search and rescue missions and hostage situations as a couple of the intended applications.