Rogue drones are the latest form of threat to safe airspace. Not long ago, a drone laden with explosives targeted the Venezuelan President at a rally. With rapid advances in drone technology, rogue drones also tend to get smarter. There exist drones equipped with guns and drones which can read faces. Thus, an anti-drone measure is the need of the hour. An Australian counter-drone firm, DroneShield, has launched a wearable device, RfPatrol, to detect drones up till half a mile. Also, it weighs just under 2 pounds.

RfPatrol Drone Detector

The gadget, called RfPatrol, is primarily designed for law enforcement agencies, the military, security and VIP customers. Since the gadget does not emit any network jamming signals, it is legal to use in most jurisdictions. Rogue drones pose serious threats to the military and also to many important assets. For example, the drones being used in the Yemen war cause a lot of damage. Therefore, this piece of technology can prove to be life-saving for soldiers.

“Due to its miniaturized, body-worn nature, substantially larger customer [market share] due to its non-emitting nature, and a relatively lower price point compared to fixed-site products, we expect it to have substantial appeal. In addition to being able to be used as a stand-alone, it is a perfect companion to our DroneGun product,” DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik said.

RfPatrol worn by a soldier

RfPatrol works on two modes: “Stealth” and “Glimpse” mode. The mode the users select determined how they receive alerts. Users get feedback via haptic, visual and audio components.

How it works

RfPatrol is supported by the DroneShield Link. This is a system which enables operators to update and manage drone databases efficiently in changing threat environment.

The device can detect drones from over half a mile (800 meters). Its detection capabilities extend to line-of-sight detection and omnidirectional detection. It can detect any drone on a known frequency in less than five seconds.

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