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  • Author Author: Catwell
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Drones put on light show over London - while others accost crime suspects

Catwell


Drones are everywhere these days and they are not just tools for military and law enforcement anymore. Online retailers Amazon and Google are looking to employ them to deliver packages, real estate agencies are looking to use them to market properties (Brian Tercero/Keller Williams) and multiple Search and Rescue teams all over the globe are using them to locate lost people in remote places. The prospect for using them in grand aerial displays just seems counterintuitive to their nature of being silent, unseen orbital surveillance systems but that’s what Ars Electronica had in mind when they employed a fleet to advertise Star Trek: Into Darkness back in March of 2013.

 

A massive total of 30 computer-controlled LED-ringed Hummingbird quadro-copters (from AscTec) hovered above Potters Fields Park in London to herald in the second instalment of the Star Trek series from Paramount Pictures. The drones were sent up approximately 300ft over the field and then proceeded to rotate on the display’s horizontal axis, much to the delight of onlookers.



While the display was certainly something to see, we all know drones are inherently evil and serve only to hurt us in one form or another, which is the case with Chaotic Moon’s CUPID stun-copter that’s outfitted with a stun gun. The Texas-based design firm designed their Chaotic Unmanned Personal Intercept Drone using a Tarot Hexacopter that was meant to carry aloft a SLR camera, however in this case it is outfitted with Phazzor Dragon stun gun instead of the video imager.

 

The drone was designed with law enforcement and security personnel in mind and is programmed for fully autonomous flight and weapon deployment, however (like it matters) it can be flown and fired manually if need be. Besides the stun gun, the platform can be modified to accept any non-lethal (as well as lethal) weapons system, such as paintballs, rubber balls, pepper balls and CEWs (projectile-fired Tasers). It’s hard to imagine what drones will be used for next but one thing’s for sure, they won’t be going away.

 

C

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  • Using the drones to disable suspects is fraught with liabilities.

    There are a lot of ways to mark a suspect without any life threatening side effects.

     

    Using the drones for aerial displays was just a matter of time.

    I wonder if any of the drones failed during the performance?  Again, they could become a liability if they fall from the sky and hurt anyone.

    However, if used with the proper precautions, they could well replace fireworks as a way to light up the skies during celebrations.

    Much safer and ecologically suitable way to please people with limited downside.

     

    I suspect we can see more uses like these as the drone wars begin.image

     

    DAB