Drone technology marches forward, regardless of whether you or I think it is a good idea. A few recent article:
- Incorporating drones into a home security system.
- LA Sheriff starts to use drones
- US Navy experimenting with swarms of drone ships
- ISIS using off-the-shelf quadcopters to drop small bombs.
1/3 – Engadget.com – Your next home security system could deploy patrol drones – A company has developed a security system with a learning algorithm which ‘learns’ the normal routine at your home. When something happens outside the range of normal, the system can deploy drones to put several cameras on the situation.
You can assess the situation yourself and notify the alarm company or say it is okay. You can also allow the alarm company to see the video, which could obviously then be shared with first responders, whether police or fire department.
1/13 – Los Angeles Times – L.A. Sheriff’s Department to begin using drones to respond to bomb threats, hostage crises – LASD has a $10,000 drone with 8 deputies trained in its use. Planned applications are aerial observation during arson incidents, hostage situations, armed barricades, and searches for missing persons. Drone has flight endurance of 20 minutes and range of 1 mile, but must be kept under visual observation.
LASD is one of 300 law enforcement agencies in the country with FAA permission to use drones, of which 30 agencies are in California.
1/18 – Space War – Gangs of US Navy “Killer” Boats Will Roam the Seas – The Navy is developing patrol boats that are interconnected so they can swarm, or work together autonomously. Putting weapons on them will make them offensive or defensive weapons. Navy has had several successful tests.
1/15 – Popular Science – ISIS is Dropping Bombs With Drones in Iraq – Don’t worry too much, yet. It’s not that ISIS has a Reaper knockoff with reverse engineered Hellfire missiles. Instead, they have off-the-shelf quadcopters that have a release mechanism that can drop a grenade inaccurately.
Suicide driven car bombs, carrying thousands of pounds of explosives, are a far more serious threat.
On the other hand, grenade dropping quadcopters are a scary first step.
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