There are increasing cases of drones being used for criminal and illegal activities. Some such cases have to do with drones being used to spy on individuals, to deliver contraband in prisons, or used as weapons. For example, in Syria the Islamic State used a drones carrying hand grenades to completely destroy a Russian weapons depot recently. Other cases that have been on the rise involve drones having had near misses with commercial aircraft. A well documented case involved an Airbus A321 that came within 30m (100ft) of a drone at 15,500ft. According to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), there have been many near misses reported around London, although more of them tend to occur not near airports.

In response to this rising threat, several organizations have come up with innovative solutions. One of the most popular inventions has been a drone gun. Rather than using a bullet to disarm and bring down a drone, this type of gun is used to fire nets to bring them down. Several companies have developed their own version of this gun. One of the companies, OpenWorks, has developed a mounted gun that can detect, track and automatically shoot down drones flying within a restricted area.

Other security companies have opted to install the net guns on drones. Drones equipped with net guns can easily be used to track and disable other drones. These so called interceptor drones were successfully used during the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Police in Tokyo, Japan have also been using them for a few years. To make the net capture guns more effective, they need to be used in conjunction with reliable detection technologies. The UK firm, Metis Aerospace, recently conducted a trial of its drone detection system. This system uses radio frequencies and optical sensors to detect drones is called Skyperion. The trial was a success.

The tech firms Eclipse Digital Solutions and Drone Defence developed and installed a drone detection system in Les Nicolles Prison in Guernsey. This system comprises of a number of sensors that are installed around the prison’s perimeter fence which disable rogue drones. Despite these innovations the main challenge against rogue drones is the lack of trained personnel. Many organizations lack trained professionals and according to experts, using AI might be the best solution.

Drone manufacturers are also doing their part to minimize criminal activities. For example, many drones now have geo-fencing, which enables drones to automatically recognize no fly zones.