Michigan-Developed Drone Catcher Ensnares Rogue UAVs: Watch

HOUGHTON, MI – It sounds Hollywood-ish and futuristic, but a Michigan Technological University professor is developing an unmanned aerial vehicle that would intelligently cast its net and take down rogue drones, possibly averting an attack on a military base or government building — or a big sporting event like, say, a World Cup soccer match.

Mohammad Rastgaar-Aagah, an associate professor with Houghton-based Michigan Tech’s Mechanical Engineering Department, was watching the 2014 tournament when the idea for the drone catcher first occurred to him, according to a report by The Detroit News.

How would security personnel respond if there were a drone threat? he wondered. He discussed the potential security gap with his students back in Michigan, and a patent for their technology is pending.

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Murphy and his team of colleagues and students are working to make the system autonomous and intelligent enough to detect targets.

“You can’t expect all law enforcement officers to be pilots and be able to do crazy maneuvers with drones,” Rastgaar said. “It has to be intelligent enough to predict when and where to shoot its net.”

Watch more below:

$4.8 Billion Industry by 2021

Drone ownership is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. Sales of the unmanned aerial vehicles are now about $609 million, Market Research International says, but could soar to $4.8 billion by 2021.

Americans bought 1.6 million drones in 2015, half of the purchases coming during the last three months of the year, the Federal Aviation Administration estimates.

Hobby drone sales have escalated as well, and regulations are tightening for both personal and commercial drone ownership.

Steve Chait, a pilot and attorney who specializes in and chairs the Michigan Bar Association unit on aviation law, told The Detroit News that law surrounding UAVs is evolving with the boom industry behind the technology.

“It’s such a new technology that’s developed faster than law or the FAA’s ability to regulate them has,” Chait said. “We’re all pioneers watching and trying to figure out where it’s going to go.”

Important Drone Registration Deadline

Last December,the FAA implemented a drone registration initiative, to cut down on drone violations and identify offenders.

Under new FAA drone guidelines, technically for what they call “unmanned aircraft systems,” “all aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms), including payloads such as on-board cameras, must be registered.”

If you got a drone before Dec. 21, you need to register it soon — no later than Feb. 19. Anyone who acquired a drone later must register their first outdoor flights.

And before you start panicking: The process is pretty simple and doesn’t involve sitting in a smelly DMV office or waiting for hours on the phone on hold.

Here’s how it works:

• Go to the FAA’s new drone registration website.
• Enter your email address, credit or debit card and physical address and mailing address.
• The cost is $5.
• You will receive a certificate with an identification number on it. That number can go on any and all aircraft that meet the FAA’s above criteria.
• See How To Label Your UAS for instructions on how to label your drone.

The FAA also offered a reminder on the following rules for flying a drone:

• Fly below 400 feet altitude.
• Keep your unmanned aircraft in sight at all times.
• Never fly near manned aircraft, especially near airports.
• Never fly over groups of people, stadiums or sporting events.
• Never fly near emergency response efforts.