This is why Drone users cannot have nice things...

[Bittenfleax]

A DJI Phantom 2 has been caught trying to drop a KNIFE, DRUGS AND PHONES into a prison in the UK...

 

Because of it's 0.5 Mile range it can be flown from a long way. The only reason why it was caught is because it crashed.... yeah, the guy flying it crashed and lost the £700-£900 Drone as well as the contraband along side. 

 

[The drone that was used]

 

 

One of the Chief Officers of the prison said this:

 

 

 

"Staff have recently covered up the cell windows that face outwards to prevent stuff being thrown in."

 

I mean.... after all of this rubbish with drones becoming more difficult to fly anywhere in the UK, I think this will tip the glass. All of the "radical" politicians will be all over this trying to ban drones in the UK.

 

Good to know that a person has already been arrested though.

 

Anyway, people always have to ruin the fun.

 

Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/130203-drone-found-crashed-outside-a-prison-carrying-drugs-phones-and-tobacco & http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/drone-flies-into-uk-prison-with-knife-drugs-and-phones/ar-BBiBxLT#page=1

[Trik'Stari]

I'm surprised they haven't been banned in the US already with the Mexican drug cartels trying to fly drugs over the boarder with them.

 

Not that they should be, just that politicians love to blow things out of proportions in an effort to make themselves more popular.

[Bittenfleax]

just that politicians love to blow things out of proportions in an effort to make themselves more popular.

I agree with this A LOT. ^^^

[Trik'Stari]

I agree with this A LOT. ^^^

The sad part is that they do it so frequently, it's hard to tell what's actually important that they are trying to distract people from.

[dalekphalm]

I imagine that prisons will start to take advantage of existing anti-drone technology, similar to what France Nuclear Power Stations are doing. Anti-drone-drones, nets, possibly wireless and GPS dead-zones and jammers, etc.

 

It's a problem that they must combat, but at the same time, try to find a balance that doesn't outright ban them for UK citizens.

[EcchiRevenge]

Not that they should be, just that politicians love to blow 

Could have stopped the sentence there and the idea would still mostly be intact.

[KirbyTech]

Here in Canada many prisons are jamming, so dones are pretty much useless around here for dropping stuff into prisons. If you want to get something in you better know a guard.

[The_Evenger]

This is a major problem. Prisoners are already known for making chives out of tooth brushes, but to have an actualy wepon droped in is a... very simmaler story actually.

 

regardless, this is probubly going to set back drone users.

[Victorious Secret]

I imagine that prisons will start to take advantage of existing anti-drone technology, similar to what France Nuclear Power Stations are doing. Anti-drone-drones, nets, possibly wireless and GPS dead-zones and jammers, etc.

 

It's a problem that they must combat, but at the same time, try to find a balance that doesn't outright ban them for UK citizens.

 

The kinds of drones you want to use for heavy lifting all employ GPS based stabilization, theres no other way to move that much mass through the air. Thats the good thing, since DJI can just push a update that adds prisons as no fly zones. They can even FORCE the drones to be updated, as seen on the Inspire which actually shuts down after a few days if you don't give it the latest update. 

[Trik'Stari]

The kinds of drones you want to use for heavy lifting all employ GPS based stabilization, theres no other way to move that much mass through the air. Thats the good thing, since DJI can just push a update that adds prisons as no fly zones. They can even FORCE the drones to be updated, as seen on the Inspire which actually shuts down after a few days if you don't give it the latest update. 

Wouldn't someone with enough time and the inclination be able to bypass all of that though?

[dalekphalm]

Wouldn't someone with enough time and the inclination be able to bypass all of that though?

Yeah, if they introduced a custom flight computer. It's certainly possible with enough technical and/or engineering skill.

 

But the GPS Satellite providers could possibly introduce a GPS blackout from their end too - I'm not sure how much control they have over things like that.

 

Alternatively, the prisons could just drop in Radio Jammers that block the frequencies that GPS satellites transmit on.

[Trik'Stari]

Yeah, if they introduced a custom flight computer. It's certainly possible with enough technical and/or engineering skill.

 

But the GPS Satellite providers could possibly introduce a GPS blackout from their end too - I'm not sure how much control they have over things like that.

 

Alternatively, the prisons could just drop in Radio Jammers that block the frequencies that GPS satellites transmit on.

Couldn't you replace the GPS control with accelerometer control?

[Gullerback]

don't forget about the one a month or so ago trying to stun gun people

[LukaP]

Couldn't you replace the GPS control with accelerometer control?

Depends on drone size and mass. the accelerometers in those drones arent the most precise things ever

[Trik'Stari]

Depends on drone size and mass. the accelerometers in those drones arent the most precise things ever

But it would be possible if you had one large enough, yes?

 

don't forget about the one a month or so ago trying to stun gun people

Don't give the police more terrible ideas please

[Victorious Secret]

Depends on drone size and mass. the accelerometers in those drones arent the most precise things ever

 

Even my Phantom in manual mode is a tricky dick. 

 

A proper rig with weight to it requires steady hands that most users straight up don't have. 

[dalekphalm]

Couldn't you replace the GPS control with accelerometer control?

Sure, but you'd essentially have to map the entire geography along it's height, add in sensors to avoid obstacles, and a flight computer to control against forces such as wind, along with a compass to correct for heading changes.

 

Anyone with programming and engineering skill could make a drone that flies in a straight line with absolutely no exterior forces (say, inside a warehouse). Making one that can actually fly into a prison and drop off some sort of goods? That's a whole different situation.

 

Even my Phantom in manual mode is a tricky dick. 

 

A proper rig with weight to it requires steady hands that most users straight up don't have. 

Quite - especially when you consider that these would be hypothetical kitbash "hackintosh" drones.

[Wojethebest]

what people need to understand is that with everthing there is always that 1% of people that will use it for bad things and banning it (I'm talking about you FAA) will not fix it

For example

Knives are useful but some people use it for stabbing that doesn't mean you should ban it

Almost everone who is the rc hobby agree that there need to be rules like no flying in the middle of people. Having to have proof you can fly in a safe way.

Maybe a lisence to fly RC and if you do something like in the first post you aren't allowed to fly RC

[Lord Baal]

Now if retarded douche canoes could just stop ruining shit for the rest of us that'd be great....

[Wojethebest]

The kinds of drones you want to use for heavy lifting all employ GPS based stabilization, theres no other way to move that much mass through the air. Thats the good thing, since DJI can just push a update that adds prisons as no fly zones. They can even FORCE the drones to be updated, as seen on the Inspire which actually shuts down after a few days if you don't give it the latest update.

This is incorrect GPS in a controller is mostly used for having the multicopter automaticly go to a fixed loacation but is not needed if it is controlled manually and instead a gyro and accelerometer is used to make the multicopter move only the way you tell it to.

And the dji controller having no flyzones is a bad thing for example the is a rc airshow(can't remember the name but it is one of the biggest) that takes place every year at an airport that is shut down while the airshow is on but if you have a dji product or flight controller with GPS you can't fly there even though it's not an active airfield during the airshow