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IPFS News Link • Drones

Drone-catching hexacopter fires a large net to reel in suspicious aircraft

• http://www.gizmag.com, NICK LAVARS

Following the lead of Tokyo police last month, a team of mechanical engineers has devised a retrieval system that captures small drones and carries them unharmed to desired location. 

Tokyo's police department made headlines last month when it demonstrated drone-hunting aircraft that tow around large nets, intended to scoop up suspicious aircraft before they can cause any harm. Flown by riot police, the department hopes to use the vehicles to capture drones that may be lurking in sensitive areas, such as the airspace around the Japanese prime minister's office where one unmanned aircraft was intercepted in April last year. 

Conceived by Mo Rastgaar, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University, this latest system does appear to be a little more sophisticated. Described as "robotic falconry," Rastgaar's solution consists of a large hexacopter with a launching system fitted to its body.


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