British engineering firm OpenWorks method of dealing with unmanned aircrafts and other machines takes the form. Of a shoulder-mounted launcher that catches any errant aircraft in a net from up to 100m (330ft) away. This is the latest development after there has been trained eagles to radio beam disabling systems, countermeasures to deal with rogue drones illegally entering sensitive airspace are proliferating almost as fast as drones themselves.
Drones have become more popular in recent years and it brings about the concern of who the person flying or controlling them is, and where they are being controlled. There is a very high potential that this technology can be abused in way of irresponsible or malicious use, therefore, some imaginative approaches have been drawn up to ensure public safety. These drones have found their way to the most unexpected places; government official offices or even crash-landing on the white house lawn.
Shoulder-Mounted SkyWall Launcher Traps Drones with a Net
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Kind of like the drone-hunting drone that we covered earlier this year, the Shoulder-Mounted SkyWall launcher is designed to disable unauthorized aircraft by trapping them in a net. The system uses a compressed gas-powered launcher to fire a programmable projectile that deploys a large net at just the right time to net the drone. Once the drone is all wrapped up in the net, an attached parachute then safely brings it back to earth.
The user of the launcher can aim at the unwanted drone with the help of something called SmartScope which consists of a laser range finder and it measures inertia. This helps to measure the distance and flight path of the drone and then the trajectory required for a direct hit which informs the user of a target lock via a continuous beep. Should it happen that the projectile doesn’t meet its target, the parachute will still deploy and the projectile can be reused.
The Shoulder-Mounted SkyWall launcher is just about the size of a man and though it appears advanced and of high technology, it requires less expertise and not much training to operate it. It can be reloaded in eight seconds and it’s weight is 10 kg (22 lbs). There is not word on pricing yet but according to OpenWorks, theis launcher is cost-effective and it is expected to be in used before the year runs out.
Watch the video below
