Signal-jamming DroneGun used by Australian Defence Force during international summit
Robotics
Drones are a real concern for public safety officials who have been scrambling to figure out how to defend against them during big events.
One company, DroneShield, believes the answer lies in jamming an encroaching drone's control signals.
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That strategy got some endorsement on the world stage during the recent ASEAN Summit in Sydney, where members of the Australian Defence Force deployed with the company's DroneGun.
"Monitoring of drone activity at high profile events has become an important component of event management, similar to perimeter access control or participant credentialing," DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik told me via email. "DroneShield's product DroneGun was used by the Australian Defence Force at the event, on behalf of the New South Wales Police for the protection of the participants from potential drone threats."
The device, which comes in a few configurations, is a fully integrated rifle-style countermeasure that works against a wide range of drone models. Though it looks like the gnarliest gun you've ever seen, it's actually a high-powered jamming device capable of disrupting multiple frequency bands simultaneously.
By jamming radio frequencies and signals from positioning satellites, the device disrupts commercial drone control functions.
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The DroneGun isn't for sale in the US, except to government agencies.
Other drone countermeasures run the gamut, from the giant nerf-style gun that protects presidents to trained birds of prey that attack drones as if they're food.