A British company has come up with a countermeasure against drones, and it’s likely going to make the game a lot more fun.
The rise of drone technology has added a new dimension to not only warfare, but to hunting, exploring, general adventuring, and of course, spying. The little flying robots, armed with cameras, have been shot at, taken down by birds of prey, and have had a collective fist shaken at them due to their intrusive nature.
Stopping them is something even the Federal Aviation Administration has been challenged to do. But a group of English designers from Open Works Engineering think they have developed an effective method of taking the flying pests down.
The SkyWall 100 is an anti-drone cannon. It’s a shoulder-fired net gun that looks a lot like a Stinger missile system, without the laser guided, long range, high explosive punch.
At just 22 pounds, the system uses compressed air to launch an explosive net system that can bring down drones flying more than 100 meters away. The shoulder-mounted air cannon uses an intelligent tracking system that locks onto a drone not unlike the TrackingPoint smart gun technology.
The platform lets an operator with limited training or skills manage to intercept a moving drone. Of course, the SkyWall100 is marketed to governments and corporations interested in protecting vital assets, so unless you and all your buddies want to pool your funds, it’s likely you won’t be buying one anytime soon.
Still, the new technology will change the game out there.
