Protect your home from drones (in the U.S.)
An Oregon-based startup plans to sell anti-drone technology to those who want to defend themselves from the thousands of commercial drones that are expected to one day troll the U.S. skies.
Amy Cieselka and Tim Faucett, co-founders of durable mobile computer firm APlus Mobile, launched their anti-drone tech company Domestic Drone Countermeasures LLC last month, reported the Oregonian.
The startup doesn't offer a lot of detail about its anti-drone technology on its website beyond describing its countermeasures as "highly effective and undefeatable by most current domestic drone technologies." DDC says it uses a multiple layer system to impede typical drone sensors, infrared and camera capability.
The company also will only sell to U.S. citizens, according to information on its website. The countermeasures that are used won't shoot the drones out of the sky like the laser technology develop by German defense firm Rheinmetall. The drones simply won't be able to complete their missions, according to DDC.
DDC's tech will be used to go after commercial drones. Potential anti-drone buyers might be large corporations or research facilities hoping to protect themselves from industrial espionage.
The prospect of thousands of commercial drones floating around U.S. homes and businesses isn't far fetched or far off. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 includes requirements for integrating unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, into the national airspace system by 2015. Last month, the FAA issued a government request for proposals to establish six test ranges for drones in the U.S. where unmanned aircraft be legally flown. (Check out DDC's map of domestic drone authorizations below)
The agency has already issued 1,428 permits to domestic drone operators, such as police, universities and federal agencies, since 2007, reported the Los Angeles Times. The drones have been used to search for lost hikers and to monitor a bunker in Alabama where a 65-year-old gunman held a 5-year-old boy hostage.
Photo: U.S. Navy; Graphic: DDC
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com