DroneShield's DroneGun takes down UAVs without harming them

Consumer drones have become such a problem and legal grey area that people have started taking matters into their own hands. Some go as far as shooting them down and ending up in trouble themselves. While there are a few products or experiments that try to deal with drones, many of them result in damaging the drone. DroneShield proposes a better, less violent solution, though you probably wouldn't guess it from the way it looks. The DroneGun unabashedly looks like some heavy duty rifle, but it can safely make a drone land or retreat, without firing an actual explosive shot.

In truth, that rifle shape is only meant for appearances. With the way it works, it would have probably worked just as well if it looked less conspicuous. But that would also make it look less cool. That said, considering it's permanently tethered to a backpack, you also look more like a Ghostbuster than a drone buster.

The DroneGun doesn't actually fire anything. At least not in the traditional sense of a gun. DroneShield is keeping the exact technology under wraps but what the gun practically does is hijack the navigation systems of the drone. It either makes the drone do a forced but safe vertical landing or return to its point of origin. In addition, it also blocks the drone's video transmission back to its owner.

You might wonder why bother shooting down a drone without actually shooting it down. Well, for one, it presents future arguments with the drone owner about damaging his or her property. But the more practical consequence is that the drone remains intact for further investigation, or to make sure that its payload isn't damaged in the process.

The DroneGun isn't yet for sale to consumers though. DroneShield has yet to get the necessary FCC authorization to clear any legal issues about selling and using this anti-UAV measure.

SOURCE: DroneShield