SkyWall 100: Chasing drones with a bazooka 10kg

A British company has demonstrated an early version of his SkyWall 100, a bazooka 10kg-hunting drones.

The drones have a natural propensity to be used in any circumstances and in any place. And that is their innate ability that made a raise many disagreements by legal authorities, bodies responsible for safety or simply by those who love their privacy. It is also why the drones are subject to severe limitations of the law but nevertheless, often some operators have been able to insert them where it really could not.

These are actions that could allow extremely dangerous acts, such as unforeseen terrorist or collisions with other aircraft flying at heights not permitted by law. But how is it possible to stop devices so small and agile? Have a wealth of solutions designed for the unfortunate assignment but the last, the OpenWorks Engineering, we felt it was undoubtedly the most characteristic and showy. It’s called SkyWall 100, it is a weapon and weighs about 10kg.

SkyWall 100 has the appearance of a bazooka, but in technical terms is a ” compressed-air shoulder ” rifle designed specifically to stop the drones. Its shells, which integrate a net to catch the drones, aircraft can reach a maximum distance of 100 meters and can be recharged in about eight seconds each. Despite the weapon’s design memories of one of the most fearsome bazooka sci-fi video games, SkyWall 100 is not as ominous as it sounds.

https://youtu.be/M6tT1GapCe4

In fact, once the bullet grabs with its network the drone, the latter does not fall tumbling to the ground resulting in a danger to those who are below. The functionality ” parachute ” ensures that the captured drone plan the gently downward, although it is a mode which still needs some refinement. The firing accuracy is instead entrusted to a SmartScope viewfinder which helps to take aim and shoot at the right time.

During the trajectory of the bullet, it is in constant communication with the rifle so that any capture operation be carried out with the right timing: ” It is not just a bullet with a network inside “, said engineers behind the project: ” SmartScope constantly updates the bullet once it is hooked the target. once in the air the bullet expects to approach the target and after doing so, rather than simply detonate, performs a carefully timed sequence of actions to ensure that the network is released to right moment “.

In other words, in this way you need not exactly hitting the drone, but it is sufficient to direct the bullet in her neighborhood and follow the target at all times. SkyWall 100 will be sold later this year and is the first among the ” anti-drone ” rifles on which the company is currently at work. Later will come the models 200 and 300, the largest and ” static ” than the version already announced to the public that it is the only one that can be used by a single operator.