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Being Pestered By Drones? Buy a Drone-Hunting Drone

schwit1 writes, "Are paparazzi flying drones over your garden to snap you sunbathing? You may need the Rapere, the drone-hunting drone which uses 'tangle-lines' to quickly down its prey." From The Telegraph's article: It has been designed to be faster and more agile than other drones to ensure that they can't escape - partly by limiting flight time and therefore reducing weight. “Having worked in the UAS industry for years, we've collectively never come across any bogus use of drones. However it's inevitable that will happen, and for people such as celebrities, where there is profit to be made in illegally invading their privacy, there should be an option to thwart it,” the group say on their website. This seems more efficient than going after those pesky paparazzi drones with fighting kites (video), but it should also inspire some skepticism: CNET notes that the team behind it is anonymous, and that "Rapere works in a lab setting, however there aren't any photos or videos of the killer drone in action. The website instead has only a slideshow of the concept."

151 comments

  1. Heh by Torp · · Score: 5, Interesting

    There was that old sf story by Robert Silverberg, I think, that went like this: They made automated police drones (they weren't called drones back then) that prevented any violent crime from happening. Unfortunately they had learning circuits and decided even killing animals for food or harvesting crops was violent crime, and the society ended up starving. The solution was to create a new kind of drone to kill the existing drones - but this also had learning circuits and it decided it had to kill everyone.
    Looks pretty realistic these days. Anyone remember the name of the story, and the author if i got it wrong?

    --
    I apologize for the lack of a signature.
    1. Re:Heh by evenmoreconfused · · Score: 2

      No, but I remember a similar one of his about hacker-types disabling all the "cops-eyes" (his term) used to monitor a public park. Everything goes to hell shortly thereafter. I still have it around here somewhere...

      --
      No. Well...maybe. Actually, yes. It really just depends.
    2. Re:Heh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Watchbird, by Robert Sheckley.

    3. Re:Heh by anarcobra · · Score: 1

      Sounds like Larry Nivens Cloak of Anarchy.

    4. Re:Heh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No, but I remember a similar one of his about hacker-types disabling all the "cops-eyes" (his term) used to monitor a public park. Everything goes to hell shortly thereafter. I still have it around here somewhere...

      We're getting a bit off topic here, but that was a story ("Cloak of Anarchy") by Larry Niven, not Robert Silverberg

    5. Re:Heh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      "Watchbird" by Robert Sheckley.

    6. Re:Heh by Torp · · Score: 2

      Thanks! I always confuse Sheckley and Silverberg :)
      It seems to be available legally online on Project Gutenberg, if you found the article interesting go read it for a laugh: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebook...

      --
      I apologize for the lack of a signature.
    7. Re:Heh by penguinoid · · Score: 1

      Anyone remember the name of the story, and the author if i got it wrong?

      "Self-Programming AIs are Dangerous" by Captain Obvious.

      --
      Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
    8. Re:Heh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oddly, I just read this a week or so ago. It's only about 30 pages, and a pretty good read. It was originally in a magazine from mid-century (1945-ish iirc).

    9. Re:Heh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That book is free for Kindle right now on Amazon

  2. Solution looking for a problem by retroworks · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How big a market is this "defensive" drone problem? Seems more likely the market is bullies chasing down innocent drones

    --
    Gently reply
    1. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I'm more interested to see whether the market is civilians being fed up with surveillance. Unless there is a good way to identify who controls the anti-drone-drone, be prepared to see a few police drones go into early retirement.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Harlequin80 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Depending on the height an air rifle, or if that is illegal a decent slingshot would be a cheaper easier alternative. You don't need to do a lot of damage to bring them down.

      If we are talking serious height, chances are you haven't even noticed it is there.

    3. Re: Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ask people living in the middle east.

    4. Re:Solution looking for a problem by TheRealHocusLocus · · Score: 4, Informative

      If there's a drone hovering over my land, or my 'charge' if I am hired security, it is guilty until proven innocent.

      We did not build fences and walls -- and for that matter -- start wearing clothes, only to keep out the weather. We developed personal boundaries and we even invisibly project them around us when we move. If you've ever been asked "What're YOU lookin' at?" by someone, you know this even extends to where you are gazing in public. A common stumble in across cultures is violating staring rules. Expected behavior and perceived intent matters.

      One of our sharpest instinctive startle-reactions is the sudden appearance of eyes in places where eyes were not expected, or where eyes should not be. This has evolved with us from a predator mechanism, where swift action becomes necessary, and it is why spotting glowing eyes around a campfire generates a moment of apprehension. Modern humans have correctly characterized drones as eyes in the sky. Unlike helicopters which strive to spend their time beyond the dead man's curve drones are close and personal and quiet.

      You can also follow this eyes in the sky phenomenon in history. Even friendly nations felt it necessary to go on alert when their neighbors unexpectedly entered their airspace for reconnaissance flights, and during the Cold War these incursions were considered acts of war. The Treaty On Open Skies was the culmination of 50 year effort to declare aerial surveillance a mutually beneficial activity. Originally proposed by Eisenhower, this treaty was like a 'cease and desist' order for those who sought to keep aerial photography out of reach of the common man, just as there are those who would try to keep secure encryption from the public, oh holy shit President Obama why are you starting this Clipper crap again, sorry about that, and has paved the way for the Google Earth we all know and love to browse.

      Interestingly the treaty limits its signatories' ground resolution to 30 centimeters. Enough to count fighter planes but not good enough to gawk at bathing beauties.

      So scale this eyes where eyes are not supposed to be thing down to the personal level as part of a right to privacy. The problem is that predatory paparazzi are assholes and bullies, and the people who read tabloid magazines are their silent enablers. For every measure, a suitable countermeasure. That is the market, and you can bet if I was on a security detail one of these would be on my Xmas list.

      If you are comforted to be watched over by machines of loving grace... smile, you're on Candid Camera.

      --
      <blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>
    5. Re:Solution looking for a problem by TheRealHocusLocus · · Score: 1

      Interestingly the treaty limits its signatories' ground resolution to 30 centimeters. Enough to count fighter planes but not good enough to gawk at bathing beauties.

      Unless you play Minecraft.

      --
      <blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>
    6. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A slingshot? Not geeky enough for /., and not enough profit.
      What you really need is a household-scale Surface-Air Missile!

      Now off to kickstarter ...

    7. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Oil_Tan · · Score: 1

      potato gun

    8. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, when defensive drones start being used to attack innocent drones, the market for defensive drones to defend the innocent from the attacks of devensive drones will increase. The market creates itself, really.

    9. Re:Solution looking for a problem by jjhues7676 · · Score: 2

      Nothing a good 12 gauge shotgun would not fix!

    10. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yo! You got anti-drone drones tryin' to put da bone into yo' drones? We got anti-anti-drone drones to bone da fuck outtada anti-drone drones dat be boning yo' drones, right heah, champ.

    11. Re:Solution looking for a problem by rmdingler · · Score: 3, Funny

      Punkin Chunkin might be more dynamic, engineering-wise, if rifle-like accuracy is not your goal.

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    12. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How big a market is this "defensive" drone problem? Seems more likely the market is bullies chasing down innocent drones

      Seems like you are a child who lacks a bass understanding of how drones
      are used in the real world.

      If you ever leave your mother's basement you are in for a shock, son.

    13. Re:Solution looking for a problem by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Depending on the height an air rifle, or if that is illegal a decent slingshot would be a cheaper easier alternative.

      It's not legal to throw a rock in a city area if you don't know where it will land, and by the same token, it's not legal to fire even an airgun into the sky if you don't know where the projectile is coming down. In the boondocks with no nearby neighbors your solution might be viable, but the drone-attacking drone is a more practical solution for city use.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    14. Re:Solution looking for a problem by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      We did not build fences and walls -- and for that matter -- start wearing clothes, only to keep out the weather

      No, it was done out of fear that other people would treat us the way we treat them.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    15. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Baldorcete · · Score: 1

      Fighter drones! Lets see some nice dogfights!

    16. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We did not build fences and walls -- and for that matter -- start wearing clothes, only to keep out the weather

      No, it was done out of fear that other people would treat us the way we treat them.

      Your comment reveals that you lack faith in others due to your knowledge of
      yourself.

      Perhaps you are or were a thief, but most of us are not criminals and we are
      interested in doing what is necessary to protect ourselves, or families, and our
      possessions. And THAT is why we have walls, fences, and locks. ;;

    17. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Oil_Tan · · Score: 0

      What I have in mind is, parts from a gas grill, 3" or 4" pvc. rope. epoxy glue. plastic sights. shoulder fired, much like a WWII bazooka.

    18. Re:Solution looking for a problem by AchilleTalon · · Score: 1

      Even a paintball gun would do just fine with the extra bonus it will ruin the camera lens.

      --
      Achille Talon
      Hop!
    19. Re:Solution looking for a problem by ultranova · · Score: 1, Insightful

      If there's a drone hovering over my land, or my 'charge' if I am hired security, it is guilty until proven innocent.

      Airspace ownership is a complex issue and will only become more so as new categories of flying devices appear. Making your own rules and destroying other people's property based on them is unlikely to go well for you.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    20. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      innocent drones

      IDINDUNUFIN'

    21. Re:Solution looking for a problem by chihowa · · Score: 3, Insightful

      An air rifle would be fine for city use. A BB has next to no kinetic energy by the time it returns to the ground. Air resistance is a real energy sapper for things that small.

      A thrown rock or a slung projectile will be larger and more massive and so retain more of its kinetic energy on return. The attacked drone falling from the sky will do more potential damage than any of the projectiles you'd use to bring it down.

      --
      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
    22. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Oil_Tan · · Score: 0

      The main problem I see is. Arnold Ziffle will probably already have you on video of said drone. Certainly a civilian would be charged with "Destruction of Pork Products" charges will follow. Not sure about private sector ownership.

    23. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But wouldn't that shot/pebble-like-stuff fall and potentially hurt someone?

      Maybe the solution is to modify copyright law. I mean, doesn't the photographer own the copyright of the video filmed? So, what if we made it so that video obtained by drone would end up being forfeited in privacy invasion?

      So, if someone is using a drone, illegally, over (or perhaps near) a celebrity's house, and if it can be determined that was the case in a court of law, then the copyright would be transferred over to the victim. Which would make things very sticky for the tabloid who purchased ill-gotten photographs/video, right?

    24. Re:Solution looking for a problem by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Perhaps you are or were a thief, but most of us are not criminals and we are
      interested in doing what is necessary to protect ourselves, or families, and our
      possessions.

      You have it ass-backwards. The walls enable us to keep the people who are deprived when we advance from taking back what was made on their backs.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    25. Re: Solution looking for a problem by jakesyl · · Score: 1

      When you factor the us military into it....

    26. Re:Solution looking for a problem by TheRealHocusLocus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      destroying other people's property based on them is unlikely to go well for you.

      I'd lay odds that the Secret Service will be their first customer because unidentified drones cannot be tolerated in their controlled area, and they try to avoid sniping things unless a clear threat is in progress.

      It's a cryin' shame that Deer Trail, Colorado voted down its proposed $25/year drone hunting license. Of 181 votes cast ~73% were against. This makes perfect sense to me, because at any point in history it seems only ~25% of any given population seems able to spot and move against certain trends that would take us down a bad road. And I'm not just talking about the guv'mint.

      Up to now paparazzi, peeping toms and criminals casing potential victims and whole neighborhoods have had to grace their target areas with their physical presence, which has held them greatly in check.

      I'm sure many are excited at the prospect of Amazon deliveries and pizzas buzzing through the skies -- or just exploring -- just for the novelty of how cool it would be. Hell, whole generations of us were enthralled by the "drone footage" at the beginning of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and how it would show a bird's eye view as he left home to visit his neighbors. Or perhaps you imagine something like this. Reality is a lot messier as they become commonplace. Drone operators will be watching their objectives on the ground and zooming their lenses as they fail to spot each other, power lines and aviation.

      They will be crashing down onto busy roadways. As their payloads become heavier and their motors stronger there is potential for real harm to bystanders. When signal is lost or power is low they will go into autonomous descent without regard to the hazards below (such as fast moving traffic). It is inevitable that the use of 'cheap' drones is to become a favored method of terrorists. All of these things will happen by degrees.

      We put pilots through the wringer and hold aircraft to ultra-high standards of reliability for good reason. We must not brush these things off lightly, and allow the the skies to become filled moving with objects of unknown purpose and origin. Unless we are really, really excited about putting pizza delivery folk out of work.

      --
      <blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>
    27. Re:Solution looking for a problem by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      An air rifle would be fine for city use. A BB has next to no kinetic energy by the time it returns to the ground.

      it also has next to no kinetic energy when it strikes something on the way out, too, unless it's very close. that's why we use pellets. and unless those are pointy, they won't really serve. A .177 pointed pellet is actually pretty useful. I don't think they're heavy enough to be dangerous coming down either, but they're still heftier than a BB. And besides, there are .22 caliber air guns. Fire one of those at a shallow enough angle, and it might be dangerous. But the law doesn't differentiate; if you don't know where the projectile will come down, it's illegal to fire, whether it's a toy airgun or a real airgun or a real firearm.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    28. Re:Solution looking for a problem by cmorgan503 · · Score: 1

      Focused EMP at said drone. Make it so!

    29. Re:Solution looking for a problem by __aajfby9338 · · Score: 2

      But wouldn't that shot/pebble-like-stuff fall and potentially hurt someone?

      I don't think that birdshot is dangerous on the way back down, unless a pellet falls right into your upturned eye. It has enough kinetic energy to harm a bird (or fragile drone) within some range of the shooter, but by the time it comes back down it has slowed to terminal velocity. Birdshot is only around a millimeter in diameter, like coarse sand. The "pebble-like-stuff" would be buckshot, which would not be practical to use against a bird/drone because not many pellets of that shot fit in a shell, making it pretty hard to actually hit a flying target with at least one pellet.

      Despite the relative safety of falling birdshot, firing guns into the air in urban settings is generally frowned upon. :)

    30. Re:Solution looking for a problem by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Why not shoot a plastic net?

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    31. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Oil_Tan · · Score: 0

      Heat from the ignition of whatever propellant would probably melt the plastic, besides weights required to help propel the net would do what was intended in the first place. Maybe cherry tomato's or chunks of carrot. etc etc

    32. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      weights required to help propel the net would do what was intended in the first place.

      If they hit it.

      Ain't breaking stuff fun?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    33. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      I'm going to get ahead of the curve with my anti anti drone drone drone.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    34. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's interesting to note that in some countries, even lascivious staring is a crime.

    35. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If the woman is not wearing hijab, then it is her fault.

    36. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Smallpond · · Score: 1

      How big a market is this "defensive" drone problem? Seems more likely the market is bullies chasing down innocent drones

      Seems like you are a child who lacks a bass understanding of how drones
      are used in the real world.

      If you ever leave your mother's basement you are in for a shock, son.

      The treble with that remark is that it's totally off-key.

    37. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      Even larger calibre ammunition poses limited threat. A 7.62 round (think AK47) has a terminal velocity of around 90m/s and weighs around 200g (depending on the round you use). That combination is right on the lower limit of power needed to break the skin if it struck with the point. What actually happens, in most cases, is the bullet twists and ends up flying sideways so you have a larger impact point making it significantly less harmful.

      Smaller calibre bullets have a much lower terminal velocity and have a lighter mass so they pose even less of a risk.

      So in summary if a falling 7/62 round landed on your head it would hurt, probably quite a lot, but that would be about it. The birdshot referred to above, I actually am not even sure you would notice it. The cloud would be so dispersed by the time it fell to the ground that even if it hit you in the eye you would probably think it was an odd shaped bit of sand.

    38. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      I was kinda assuming that deploying a hunter/killer drone and having at least 1 potentially 2 sizable devices falling out of the sky was illegal already.

      You chances of being caught as the person who fired a marble out of a slingshot or a air rifle pellet are probably lower than being cause as the owner of your hunter/killer.

      Slingshot for me would be the most fun I think. You could mess around with different pellet designs, like making a fishing line let and firing a wad of 12 small fishing weights. Would that deploy as a net or would it just stay as a clump?

    39. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slingshots are illegal in Australia.

    40. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      EMP is too complex when a simple microwave will suffice.

      That said, where do I have to go to find these pestering drones (I think they're kinda neat). Anyway, the only ones I've ever seen are the ones I fly around in my living room or backyard.

    41. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      They have a guy in a trenchcoat wearing sunglasses on a public road.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    42. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Dan541 · · Score: 1

      Yet, bows and arrows aren't.

      --
      An SQL query goes to a bar, walks up to a table and asks, "Mind if I join you?"
    43. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Oil_Tan · · Score: 0

      Now here is a target. http://youtu.be/0u7CWB40ezM

    44. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Oil_Tan · · Score: 0

      What? No MIB?

    45. Re:Solution looking for a problem by mjwx · · Score: 1

      start wearing clothes, only to keep out the weather.

      Actually we did start wearing clothes only to keep out the weather.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    46. Re:Solution looking for a problem by TheRealHocusLocus · · Score: 1

      Actually we did start wearing clothes only to keep out the weather.

      You're right of course. And to keep the bugs in.

      --
      <blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>
    47. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Depending on the height an air rifle, or if that is illegal a decent slingshot would be a cheaper easier alternative. You don't need to do a lot of damage to bring them down.

      If we are talking serious height, chances are you haven't even noticed it is there.

      What about casting at it with a fishing rod?

    48. Re:Solution looking for a problem by bugnuts · · Score: 1

      People die every year from falling bullets previously shot up in the air, and hundreds more are injured. That said, birdshot won't hurt you coming down. You might notice it, but probably doesn't even have as much force as a light hail.

      Lots of references on falling bullets on the wiki article on it.

    49. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      If you go through the cited articles there you will see that almost all of them are people who are hit while the bullets are on the way up or the bullet was fired at a sub 45 degree angle.

      Even the Puerto Rico CDC link which is used as the primary source material starts by saying that it is based on media reports. That page seems to conflate injuries sustained through "celebratory gunfire" and bullets falling from the sky. People get shot when someone does something stupid with a weapon. However the physics behind whether a falling bullet will cause serious injury are able to be calculated fairly well.

      I'm not saying firing a 7.62 round into the air is without risk. But the chances of serious injury are very low.

      As for birdshot, No.10 grains are 0.032 grams and there are 850 of these balls per cartridge. Effective range for killing a pigeon is about 20m. Past 50m and you have no chance, and this is when it is driven under force from a shot gun.

      I have no idea what the terminal velocity of something that weighs that little and has a diameter of 1.75mm is. But it would be safe to say, not very high. If I took a fist full of those pellets and dropped them from a 30 storey balcony on a crowded street below I would suggest most people wouldn't even notice. It sure as hell isn't going to have the force of light hail. More so if there is a slight breeze and the cloud is dispersed on the way down.

    50. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you underestimate how stable and capable multirotors are. A rock or air-rifle would be highly unlikely to do anything whatsoever and that's if you could hit it in the first place which is also very unlikely due to the small size and thin frame. You have to keep in mind that these things are computer controlled, incredibly stable, and capable of compensating for a wide range of conditions.

      You would have to hit the flight controller or cut one of the wires going to a motor or ESC. Which means potentially penetrating multiple thick layers of carbon fiber and/or aluminum. Not to mention the small size of these things on a moving target.

      OR you would have to completely destroy a prop or two, and I'm not talking about breaking one blade off a prop, that will not bring it down. You would have to take out all the blades of a prop. It would be damn near impossible to even hit a blade let alone break it off completely and you would have to do it multiple times on the same prop.

      I suppose damaging a motor could also work but that would be the least likely to happen unless you're using a high powered rifle. Again, not to mention the very small size on a moving target.

      So yeah, not going to happen.

    51. Re:Solution looking for a problem by CaptQuark · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying firing a 7.62 round into the air is without risk. But the chances of serious injury are very low.

      Based on anecdotal evidence from Mythbusters testing, the determining factor seemed to be if the bullet maintains a stable spin. Once the bullet starts tumbling, it loses speed quickly and it becomes less damaging. http://mythbustersresults.com/...

      Even shotgun pellets used in duck and pheasant hunting (Size 6 shot or less than 3mm) don't hurt when falling back to earth. I've been on a few pheasant hunts where hunters accidentally shoot upward toward another group of hunters and the falling shot does nothing more than sting when coming back down.

      That said, shooting quadcopters with a shotgun is a TERRIBLE idea.

    52. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Builder · · Score: 1

      The design of a range I shoot at means that on windy days we'll occasionally be hit with shot on the way down. It's normally either 9 or 7.5 (skeet or sporting), and it's no more than an annoyance.

    53. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is where the portable emp is going to come from.

    54. Re:Solution looking for a problem by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Are the laws you're referring to nation wide? I was under the impression they vary from state to state.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    55. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What an asshole point of view. You presume that everyone on the inside is a greedy mother fucker, and didn't earn what they have from their own hard labor. Get a fucking clue.

    56. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They will be crashing down onto busy roadways. As their payloads become heavier and their motors stronger there is potential for real harm to bystanders. When signal is lost or power is low they will go into autonomous descent without regard to the hazards below (such as fast moving traffic).

      Solvable through laws. Those who want to operate drones over people/traffic/someone elses property in general, may have to install safety measures such as:

      1. Pre-flight checklists, so you know the thing is in working order & has good batteries
      2. Replace parts (motors, batteries) some time before they are expected to wear out, just as they do with real planes. Obviously, still working parts can be sold to hobbyists, whose simpler machines are not allowed to fly over unsuspecting people/traffic
      3. GPS can ensure that the drone "flies home" if communication is lost somehow.
      4. Fly with a map, so the drone can try to make the best of an emergency landing. Roads should be avoided, a garden is somewhat better, a designated crash area best. Also, automatic respect for whatever no-drone zones authorities may decide on.
      5. Automatic parachute & motor kill system when things go really wrong. (Collision with bird/drone/powerline/...) A drone floating down with the motors off aren't that nasty.

    57. Re:Solution looking for a problem by dave420 · · Score: 1

      I love how you delved deep, deep into your bowels in order to conjure up some argument as to how you are correct. 25%? Brilliant work. "At any point in history" - genius stuff.

    58. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Read your local and state laws. Odds are if discharging an air rifle is illegal, firing a slingshot is, too.

    59. Re:Solution looking for a problem by TheRealHocusLocus · · Score: 1

      I love how you delved deep, deep into your bowels in order to conjure up some argument as to how you are correct. 25%? Brilliant work. "At any point in history" - genius stuff.

      Congratulations! Since it's obvious that you hold a well-considered contrary view (though you did not express it) it's obvious that you too are in that ~25% who come to their own conclusions, rather than the ~75% "we're not ready for this/perhaps everything will turn out alright" majority that just lets things happen. And you have bowels too? It's amazing what we have in common.

      Deer Trail's drone hunting license may seem like it was about dudes with shotguns who wanted to destroy others' property... at least that is a fun way to look at it if you want to make a political cartoon.

      But it was to be a test case, a town where 23% of the people expressed a desire that it become a drone "no-fly zone". Do they have the same right do this --- and for the same reasons --- as the White House and Capitol, for example? And if they do not have that right to decide... then for what reason is this right/privilege denied them? Regardless how it turned out, it would have been interesting to see these questions debated and decided.

      --
      <blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>
    60. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Reziac · · Score: 1

      We get the same thing at bird dog field trials from popper loads (which can travel a couple hundred yards in a good wind) -- it's kinda like being spattered by light sleet.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    61. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You may be surprised to find out that even rubber-band powered slingshots are illegal in many cities and some states. (I know. I used to sell them.)

      How about an 80 watt water cooled CO2 laser with a 5 milliwatt green-dot pointer? I happen to have one in my shop (Chinese-made Laser cutter, ordered via Alibaba.com...)

    62. Re: Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      my thoughts exactly and it's great target practice.

    63. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you think that people who had the capacity to build walls thousands of years ago got the wealth to do it by working hard under their own labor? Or do you think that some of those people got rich enough to do so by lying, cheating and stealing from their neighbors? I'm not saying that everybody in that time were bandits, I am saying that it's a lot easier to get away with cheating your fellow man if you're living in a land that isn't governed by the rule of law.

    64. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      And I don't see any way the bullet would retain a stable alignment. As soon as its spin speed dropped it would have to remain perfectly angled through the air with never a breath of air pressure differential. A momentary change in pressure on one edge, let alone a gust of wind, will cause it to tumble.

      You can see if with .22lr rounds on a 200yd range. Sometimes your bullet will have tumbled before reaching the target

    65. Re:Solution looking for a problem by uninformedLuddite · · Score: 1

      I can buy one at my local hardware store in SA

      --
      The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.
    66. Re: Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      12 gauge shotgun

    67. Re:Solution looking for a problem by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      I meant a pneumatic device. (And of course servos and a computer instead of hand aiming, since a moving target is involved).

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  3. Maybe the NRA was right? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Just to play devils advocate for a few seconds, wouldn't it be cool to have a small canon to launch something like a fishing-line "hairy ball" at the drone, which would jam the moving parts, but if it hit a human would just bounce off them?

    Like bullet-powered guns are meant to kill people, but good luck hitting a drone that is moving quickly.

    1. Re:Maybe the NRA was right? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      You want something that turns or tumbles in flight so it sweeps a big area. Like a bolas or chain-shot.

      My particular application is as an ATWAD (Anti Two Wheeled Asshat Device).

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  4. Dullards. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    we've collectively never come across any bogus use of drones

    "Intelligence" is the ability to ignore what you find inconvenient, I guess.

  5. Cheaper: Ballons by drolli · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Put 4 big helium ballons and place nylon wires between them. Operates 24h a day and is cheap.

    1. Re:Cheaper: Ballons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You'd have to cover a volume, a single plane of wires wouldn't suffice. That's a lot of wires. And, in an attempt to limit its weight, the designer might opt for very thin wires. ..then drone operators would only need to glue razorblades on the tips of the rotors and the web wouldn't help.

    2. Re:Cheaper: Ballons by drolli · · Score: 2

      on 4 weather ballon, you can place ~ 8 km of nylon fishing line.

      So you can randomly traverse a 100x100x100m volume 80 times.

      Not unlikely that you crash the papparazis expensive drone with this approach.

    3. Re:Cheaper: Ballons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You'll have to change them every hour during the day to remove the birds, and at night the bats.

    4. Re:Cheaper: Ballons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hell yes, WW1 up in this biaatch

    5. Re:Cheaper: Ballons by drolli · · Score: 1

      i did not say that this is a new idea.

    6. Re:Cheaper: Ballons by PPH · · Score: 1

      drone operators would only need to glue razorblades on the tips of the rotors

      And take the chance that this will go out of control near a playground? Way to make friends in law enforgement and regulatory agencies. Then, nobody can have nice things anymore.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    7. Re:Cheaper: Ballons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the wires had any give, like they would if they were suspended between floating balloons, that is probably not going to work.

    8. Re:Cheaper: Ballons by les_91406 · · Score: 1

      A standard drone prop, running at speed, is functionally equivalent to a razor blade if you encounter it the wrong way (I have a scar on my finger to remind me).

    9. Re:Cheaper: Ballons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's a great idea - we can spot the paranoid preppers and weirdy beardies by the barrage balloons around their property!

  6. Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Worst. Name. Ever.

    1. Re:Wow by ooooli · · Score: 1

      Worst. Name. Ever.

      At least since Apple decided not to go with "Liger"

    2. Re:Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think anything Apple every came up could be as bad as calling your product the "raper".

  7. Inevitible by uncleroot · · Score: 1

    It's inevitable, someone will strap a nailbomb to a drone and do something and then all drones large enough to carry an explosive will be strictly regulated. It's only a matter of time.

    1. Re:Inevitible by the+grace+of+R'hllor · · Score: 1

      I have said it before and I'll say it again: I'm amazed noone has taken a consumer-grade self-built multicopter, put a pound of plastic explosive on it, and flown it into or next to an important building from a mile away.

      Building a quadcopter or such capable of carrying a lethal payload and flying it FPV takes about $250-300.

    2. Re:Inevitible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People who would take the time to think things through like that, or make the effort to build everything at home so they don't get tracked, really aren't wired to pull the trigger in the first place, not for something as stupid as fanaticism.

    3. Re:Inevitible by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      That type of attack would be very unlikely to cause any structural damage. You would not be able to get close enough to the walls so you will only get splash impact.

      It would be a useful anti-personnel weapon but your payload is always going to be cripplingly small for the cost. If you are someone with access to plastic explosive you probably have access to mortars. A mortar will have a much longer range and deliver a much greater payload. In addition it actually strikes the building before detonation rather than being 1+ meters away meaning much greater chance of causing a structural failure.

    4. Re:Inevitible by DarkOx · · Score: 1

      Probably because most of the terrorists are not thinkers. These guys are still trying to set off some m80s in the back of a car next to a propane cylinder and expecting something exiting to happen. Essentially they are not smart enough to put something like that together that actually works without help. They are not smart enough to solicit help without getting caught either.

      It will happen eventually but its going to have to be some relatively intelligent person who has gone of the deep end for one reason or another. Probably it will be Timothy McVeigh type who does it in a 'western' nation first. The Islamists might do it in Iraq/Yemen/Syria/*istan where their infrastructure is but so far 9/11 and the Subway bombing has been only cases where they recruited actors who are not some combination of overly stupid or overly deranged to successfully pull off something more complex than 'run and gun'.

      The other thing is the smarter Islamists know they have a large enough pool of the stupid and deranged that they need only get a handful of AKs into their hands and some ammo and they have a reliable suicide attack. There will be much higher probability of failure trying to deliver IEDs from drones and given current constraints on the tech available at your local hobby shops and hardware store little chance of doing damage that is much greater. So in a sense its 'smarter' to put some AKs into the hands of some baffoon you have convinced is on his way to 72 virgins.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    5. Re:Inevitible by Baron_Yam · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Don't forget that guy in New Zealand who designed and built an inexpensive home-built cruise missile that could be launched from a pickup truck. It wasn't big, but it was effectively unstoppable and theoretically pretty easy to launch and escape without getting caught.

      The important part here, is that he built a guidance system for it. Adapt that for a small drone platform, and suddenly you don't need to be at the controls or within visual range of the thing.

    6. Re:Inevitible by jaa101 · · Score: 1

      Yes, anti-personnel is the danger. I wouldn't be surprised if the secret service don't already jam potential drone control frequencies for their high-value people. The real danger is with autonomous drones that use GPS or, worse, are smart enough to do without it. These things could be a poor man's mini cruise missile.

    7. Re:Inevitible by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The important part here, is that he built a guidance system for it. Adapt that for a small drone platform, and suddenly you don't need to be at the controls or within visual range of the thing.

      For a quadcopter, you can use ordinary COTS GPS for guidance, or an IMU including same. They travel at speeds at which GPS is willing to function. Cruise missiles take more work.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    8. Re:Inevitible by Baldorcete · · Score: 1

      A fixed wing RC plane will be much more eficient, with a bigger payload for the same cost, and faster. Efectively, a cruise missile. The technology has been here for decades.

    9. Re:Inevitible by rogoshen1 · · Score: 1

      that is a naive and dangerous assumption.

      Look at any engineering program in the US -- how many pakistani / arab students are there? How hard would it be for someone actually motivated to use such a device to find one of these students who either already had resentment towards the west, or had family back home who could be used as leverage?*

      The complexity involved in *using* these tools, pales in comparison to developing them. All it would it take is getting an impressionable kid to design it.

      *I only mention the pakistani/arab aspect because perhaps they'd be more sympathetic to a terrorists point of view to begin with. Before someone cries out 'racism' -- bear in mind just because something is uncomfortable to think, doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong.

    10. Re:Inevitible by Baron_Yam · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't trust GPS to navigate a city, too much opportunity to bump into things, even above street level. You definitely need some kind of terrain recognition / object avoidance system in place.

    11. Re:Inevitible by the+grace+of+R'hllor · · Score: 1

      That is a silly assumption, that terrorists aren't thinkers.

      The suicide guys? Yeah, they're the ones who can be persuaded that dying is worth it. But 'terrorist' by now encompasses such a large group, there are going to be plenty of people capable of planning a complex attack.

      One guy with a few drones remotely piloted on a common frequency, say 433MHz, carrying pipe bombs onto school playgrounds cannot easily be stopped. Where this same guy with an AK47 can be stopped with a single bullet.

    12. Re:Inevitible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People who would take the time to think things through like that, or make the effort to build everything at home so they don't get tracked, really aren't wired to pull the trigger in the first place, not for something as stupid as fanaticism.

      Incorrect. If you look into who are suicide bombers, a surprising number are engineers. They are the type of people who look for black-and-white solutions to problems.

    13. Re: Inevitible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Blabla "im not a racist, but..." blabla

      Go fuck yourself and think some umcomfortable thoughts

      http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/01/not-all-terrorists-are-muslims/

    14. Re:Inevitible by DarkOx · · Score: 1

      Look at any engineering program in the US -- how many pakistani / arab students are there? How hard would it be for someone actually motivated to use such a device to find one of these students who either already had resentment towards the west, or had family back home who could be used as leverage?

      Impossible no, but there is always going to be risk in a free society. I suspect there are not that many engineering students that take the 72 virgins stuff literally, and more than there are those who fear going into the woods because Satan might be waiting. They are engineering students because they have talent, aspirations, and opportunity. Could they use that opportunity to be a suicide terrorist, yes they could, but most of them certainly feel they worked hard to get where they are and want something better for it than to die young. Long story short they are like you or I.

      The use their family as leverage part is probably more realistic. Hard to say what someone will do if you tell them you are holding their sister who you will rape to death if they don't follow instructions, but that is still unlikely. That would require these guys have operatives to identify Arab students who they can trace family back to a home country where they can grab them and hold them. Conditions must be such that the victim would need to believe going to the authorities won't work. If its Saudi Arabia or something where the state department can make a few phone calls and get someone picked up, that is probably how that will go.

      I am all for tightening up our boarders and strictly enforcing our immigration laws. We should close the tourism visa loop hole. We should make sure everyone who comes here from abroad gets background check and people with criminal backgrounds including things that we consider felonies should be denied; as should those who have known militant associations. We should locate and deport people who let visa's expire quickly; no excuses. Being out of immigration compliance should result in being permeately bared from entry to all US territories in the future.

      What we don't need/want to do is get all twitchy and suspicious about folks here. If they came here legal and are obeying the same laws you and I obey we should treat them like we treat each other. This is important for our society, its kinda what America is supposed to mean.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    15. Re:Inevitible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I did not WANT to hit the president with my rc plane, but they jammed my radio . . .

      Getting close to walls is not a problem. You can ram a drone full speed into a wall, or a bridge pillar/suspension - and set the warhead to impact detonation.

      A drone carrying some dynamite or a hand grenade is all an assassin needs. Security will be looking for snipers on the roofs and gunmen in the crowd. Then this flying thing drops a grenade from 200m above. Or follow the armored car into the "secure" underground parking, land and wait in silence till they open the doors . . .

    16. Re:Inevitible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Avoidance is nice - but not necessary. If an attack drone is lost, you launch another one at the next opportunity. Or you launch several, from different locations. Timed to arrive at the target simulatneously. A few extra drones is cheap.

  8. Net gun works against low flying drones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Unless the knowledge of a peeping tom is annoying, then high flying drones wouldn't be much of a nuisance. For low flying drones:
    http://hackedgadgets.com/2008/12/29/diy-net-gun/

  9. Being Pestered By Drone-Hunting Drones ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Being Pestered By Drone-Hunting Drones? Buy a Drone-Hunting Drone-Hunting Drone.

    Or use Drone-Hunt evading scanning and sensing technology.

  10. Antidrone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Come on people! We work in IT! Surely we can come up with a better name.

    Oh.

  11. Rapere? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    More like Vapore.

  12. So that would be... by damn_registrars · · Score: 2

    A solution in search of a drone, in search of a problem

    (too long to fit in the subject line)

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  13. Unnecessarily hi-tech by larwe · · Score: 2

    Assuming this was actually a problem, a spring-loaded net gun would be a cheaper, easier, unregulated solution to the whole problem. You don't need much of a net, either - just some monofilament to tangle the drones' rotors.

  14. Surface to Drone Missile by jfdavis668 · · Score: 2

    I'm waiting for the integrated home air defense package complete with radar and surface to drone missiles.

    1. Re:Surface to Drone Missile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's wrong with an ordinary SAM? I bet they work fine against the big fat US drones. At least if they fly low enough.

  15. Begun by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 4, Funny

    The drone war has!

  16. Easyer solution: A hawk-friendly environment by Qbertino · · Score: 2

    An easyer solution and way more fun :-):
    Hawk vs. Drone: 1 - 0

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
  17. Who pays for dammage caused by fall? by ciaran2014 · · Score: 1

    Neighbour's greenhouse smashed by falling illegal drone (over my or neighbour's land), downed by my legal drone (over my land, possibly on autopilot). Who's liable?

    --
    Help build the anti-software-patent wiki
    1. Re:Who pays for dammage caused by fall? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Neighbour's greenhouse smashed by falling illegal drone (over my or neighbour's land), downed by my legal drone (over my land, possibly on autopilot). Who's liable?

      The city goes after the owner of the drone, and the owner of the drone goes after whoever shot it down. They might well both win. The People lose, with such a waste of time in court.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Who pays for dammage caused by fall? by SuperDre · · Score: 1

      It's not legal to fly a drone over property without permission, it's not legal to film a property without permission. Also, it's your drone, so you are responsible to whatever happens if it crashes.. You can try to sue the person who damaged your drone while it was over his/her property, but I'm pretty sure you'll loose...

  18. laser by confused+one · · Score: 1

    You guys are going about this all wrong. Combine a targeting system with a decent laser and you can blind the camera and kill the drone at the same time. No need for dueling drones. Just make sure your system can tell the difference in a passenger aircraft or helicopter and a drone... It could go badly if you manage to punch holes in a police helicopter.

    1. Re:laser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've always said that this sudden very public war on people shooting lasers at aircraft is actually something else. It's designed to prepare people for authorities going after people who laser unmanned drones invading their privacy.

  19. Air Force vs NSA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Having worked in the UAS industry for years, we've collectively never come across any bogus use of drones."
    If blowing up children and unidentified (who cares if they are innocent or not) folks who just happens to be in the area is not bogus, what's the problem with somebody taking pictures?
    What a bunch of ethically challenged folk.

  20. drones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I thought this article was going to mention the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator drone.

    Integrity First
    Service before self
    Excellence in all we do

  21. Lawsuit waiting to happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just like grabbing a paparazzi camera and smashing it on the ground is illegal, using a counter-drone to destroy a (potentially) legally operated mini-UAV is going to be illegal. I guess if you are in the middle of your ranch and they are clearly trespassing you might be OK.

  22. Drone Wars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Begun, the drone wars have.

  23. Model rocketry SAMs are next by mrflash818 · · Score: 1

    Model rocketry Surface to Air Missiles are next, it seems.

    --
    Uh, Linux geek since 1999.
  24. startup landing page and few gifs by citizenr · · Score: 1

    FFS /. stop wasting my time.

    --
    Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
  25. Best Robot Wars ever by Frescard · · Score: 1

    I'm looking forward to live broadcasts of "Drone Wars Above Beverly Hills" (as celebrity and paparazzi drones are battling it out)!

  26. Seems like jamming would be easier by CityZen · · Score: 1

    Most drones operate using either 2.4 or 5.8Ghz frequencies for control. Seems like downing a drone just requires a RF jammer with a directional antenna. I suppose that the targeted drone can still get up again once you stop jamming it, so that's a difference compared to the fighting drone.

    I also suppose this wouldn't block drones that were set to operate autonomously.

    1. Re:Seems like jamming would be easier by bugnuts · · Score: 1

      Intentionally jamming an RF signal, even if you think it's illegally over your own property (which is also debatable), is a federal crime.

      Section 333 of Title 47

      No person shall willfully or maliciously interfere with or cause interference to any radio
      communications of any station licensed or authorized by or under this chapter or operated by
      the United States Government.

      Section 302 prevents selling such equipment.

      There are about 5 bands that model aircraft use, and they are narrow bands. You'd have to not only jam several bands, but it would be a reckless "overjamming" in order to guarantee catching it. If you shut it down, you may also shut down all nearby wifi, CBs, and so on. It could land you a significant fine, possibly jail, and maybe even property damage for the drone along with an injunction.

    2. Re:Seems like jamming would be easier by CaptQuark · · Score: 1

      Don't forget that all RC systems operating in the 2.4GHz range use Spread Spectrum features specifically to prevent interference. The transmitter and receiver are "bound" together so the receiver can ignore all signals not coming from the bound transmitter.

      Jamming a single frequency would only result in the loss of a few frames of control signals before the TX/RX would move on to the next frequency.

      ~~

    3. Re:Seems like jamming would be easier by CityZen · · Score: 1

      It's not clear to me that the wording above applies to wifi frequencies. But in any case, in order to "jam" wifi, you don't need an illegal "jammer", you could use a wifi station that broadcasts strong signals across multiple channels.

    4. Re:Seems like jamming would be easier by CityZen · · Score: 1

      Not all RC systems use spread spectrum. (The very popular DSM2 doesn't.) Those that use wifi don't either. Also, most video transmitters are single frequency. In any case, the 2.4Ghz band is fairly narrow. With only 3 wifi channels, you can cover most of it.

    5. Re:Seems like jamming would be easier by CaptQuark · · Score: 1

      Actually the DSM2 does use Spread Spectrum. It uses DSSS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) centered around the two most open channels. Trying to jam the center frequency would only be effective until the data shifted into one of the sidelobes. https://www.spektrumrc.com/Tec...

      ~~

  27. And let the lawsuits commence. by Stan92057 · · Score: 1

    And let the lawsuits commence. Are we taking bet on which Hollywood rag will be the first to post nude images take with RC choppers with cameras?Im betting not only actors and famous people will the only ones raped by the eyes in the sky.

    --
    Jack of all trades,master of none
  28. "Only" by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    drone operators would only need to glue razorblades on the tips of the rotors

    Which would Only affect the entry aerodynamic stability of the craft, making it just as likely it would slit the operators throat on launch as it would be to slice through anything, or be controllable at all...

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:"Only" by marcello_dl · · Score: 2

      You say that as it were a bad thing.

      --
      ---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
  29. Being Pestered By Drone-Hunting Drones ? by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

    I feel like this needs a complete Dr. Seuss treatment.

  30. You should see what Manrd Hill did in 2003 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.progressiveengineer.com/profiles/maynardHill.htm

    Transatlantic and intercontinental.

  31. South Park by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think there was an episode that covered this exact line of thought.

  32. Occam's Razor, people by swschrad · · Score: 1

    12-gauge shotgun with modified choke ought to take out the plastic birds

    --
    if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
  33. Robert Sheckley saw it coming, in 1953. by Forthan+Red · · Score: 1

    Creating drones to fight other drones. Read Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird".

  34. So all it takes to launch a product nowadays... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...is some MS Paint doodles and a domain name? No wonder CES was filled with so much garbage this year.

  35. Liability. by jklovanc · · Score: 1

    The second you disable another drone in flight you become liable for any damage it does coming down. If someone gets injured or something gets damaged the owner of the attack drone in on the hook. It could also be considered destruction of private property if what the drone was doing was legal.

  36. Who pays for dammage caused by fall? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You, because it was your actions that caused the damage, even if it was "on autopilot".