Aptonomy Inc. has designed drones that could make robberies, prison breaks or malicious intrusions impossible.
Crime Fighting Drone
According to Yahoo News, a drone startup called Aptonomy has developed a self-flying drone designed to help combat break-ins and robberies. The technology used in the "flying security guard" is based on a camera-carrying octocopter called the DJ1 S-1000+, often used by movie makers.
On top of the DJ1 S-1000+ skeleton, Aptonomy adds a second computer and a new flight controller. The crime-fighting drone is equipped with loudspeakers, bright lights and day- and night-vision cameras.
Tech Crunch reports that Aptonomy has developed navigational systems and artificial intelligence that allow its drones to autonomously fly low and fast, detecting human activity in the area and avoiding obstacles in structure-dense environments. The flying security guard drone can be operated through the Aptonomy interface that can be opened up in a browser.
The drone can be sent to a particular location by clicking on a point on a map. The flight can be watched in real time, or recorded to be reviewed later. The setup of Aptonomy's drones can be programmed to send the flying device in the air wherever a motion detector signals unusual activity on the ground.
The smart crime-fighting drones are not just self-flying. They can also return automatically to a charging station to power up when their batteries are running low.
Aptonomy has been launched by co-founders Siddharth Sanan and Mihail Pivtoraiko. They are both already well-known in the industry. Prior to starting Aptonomy, both attained doctorates from the Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute.
Aptonomy's drones can be programmed to approach intruders in a way compliant with all relevant protocols and laws. That involves recording the intruder if possible, shining a light and using your voice before ever approaching them physically. Aptonomy crime-fighting drones could be used by businesses with lots of infrastructure-related assets in order to replace or supplement their human security guard patrols.
