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Let's just solve this technical problem with technology. Drones can be blinded by bright lights or low-power lasers; we need a device that attempts to blind dr

Let's just solve this technical problem with technology. Drones can be blinded by bright lights or low-power lasers; we need a device that attempts to blind drones when they are over a person's property. Of course, it is more likely that such a device will be made illegal than that flying a drone will be made illegal -- after all, what ever will the police do if drug dealers are blinding surveillance drones?!

marshray 13y ago
> Drones can be blinded by bright lights or low-power lasers Do you have evidence to support this claim? Furthermore, so can people. > we need a device that attempts to blind drones when they are over a person's property It's probably easier to look into your own windows from your neighbor's property. Your plan does not sound particularly well thought-out to me.
- gknoy 13y ago
  I was going to say that Infrared LEDs often wreak lots of havoc on CCD-based cameras, but this [1] seems to indicate otherwise. 1: http://hackaday.com/2008/08/27/testing-ir-camera-blocking/ http://hackaday.com/2008/08/27/testing-ir-camera-blocking/
- betterunix 13y ago
  It is fairly well known that lasers can (temporarily) blind digital cameras, even at power levels that are safe (i.e. your blink reflex can protect you). You can try this at home if you have a laser pointer, though that is far more powerful than you would need unless you want to do this at long distances (hundreds of feet). The real trick, however, is aiming: http://www.naimark.net/projects/zap/howto.html http://www.naimark.net/projects/zap/howto.html Aiming the laser at a moving target (like a drone) would probably be very difficult, though not technically impossible. You would not necessarily need to keep the laser fixed on the camera; a lot of rapid hits would be sufficient to stop something casual, so something akin to a bar-code scanner might work. Really, the biggest issue is with the fact that the laser would be pointed upward. This could be dangerous if you live near an airport or if you use a needlessly powerful laser. On of the other hand, drones are probably not going to be spying on you from more than 50 feet away, so around 1mW would probably be enough to protect a bedroom window. "It's probably easier to look into your own windows from your neighbor's property." Yeah, but you can bet that if my neighbors had a camera pointed into my window, I would be upset. Sure, I can draw my curtains, but why should I not be able to both enjoy the sunlight and not be recorded in my home?
  - marshray 13y ago
    Shouldn't your neighbors be able to open their eyes in their own backyard without having to rely on their blink reflexes to protect their retinas from burns from your anti-drone laser system?
    - betterunix 13y ago
      It is not as though the system is always-on, nor is the system pointed downward. The point of the system is to activate when a drone is detected, then shine a laser at the drone. Unless your neighbors are standing between the laser and the drone, it's not even remotely dangerous to them. Even if they were somehow struck, there is not reason for the laser to be powerful enough to cause permanent damage even at point-blank range, even with >1s exposure. A typical laser pointer is more powerful than what is needed to blind a CCD at the distances we're talking about. You are exposed to the sort of laser I am talking about whenever you go to a supermarket. Yes, your blink reflex is protecting you from the laser when the clerk puts down their barcode scanner at an odd angle. There are other options, but they are probably more dangerous. Shooting drones out of the sky? Crashing your own drone into the drone that is harassing you? Laws that prohibit, regulate, or restrict civilian drone use? A laser can blind a camera without causing any damage to anything, it can be automated, and you can build safety measures in if you want to be extra-cautious.
      - marshray 13y ago
        > Unless your neighbors are standing between the laser and the drone, it's not even remotely dangerous to them. Even if they were somehow struck, Like if, for example, the drone triggered your system and flew behind the neighbors on purpose. > there is not reason for the laser to be powerful enough to cause permanent damage [...] to blind a CCD at the distances we're talking about. Please cite something in the scientific, engieneering, or hacker literature showing this. Because I think silicon detectors and solid state optics are a lot more resilient (and easier to repair) than human retinas.
        13y ago

marshray 13y ago

> Drones can be blinded by bright lights or low-power lasers Do you have evidence to support this claim? Furthermore, so can people. > we need a device that attempts to blind drones when they are over a person's property It's probably easier to look into your own windows from your neighbor's property. Your plan does not sound particularly well thought-out to me.

gknoy 13y ago
I was going to say that Infrared LEDs often wreak lots of havoc on CCD-based cameras, but this [1] seems to indicate otherwise. 1: http://hackaday.com/2008/08/27/testing-ir-camera-blocking/ http://hackaday.com/2008/08/27/testing-ir-camera-blocking/
betterunix 13y ago
It is fairly well known that lasers can (temporarily) blind digital cameras, even at power levels that are safe (i.e. your blink reflex can protect you). You can try this at home if you have a laser pointer, though that is far more powerful than you would need unless you want to do this at long distances (hundreds of feet). The real trick, however, is aiming: http://www.naimark.net/projects/zap/howto.html http://www.naimark.net/projects/zap/howto.html Aiming the laser at a moving target (like a drone) would probably be very difficult, though not technically impossible. You would not necessarily need to keep the laser fixed on the camera; a lot of rapid hits would be sufficient to stop something casual, so something akin to a bar-code scanner might work. Really, the biggest issue is with the fact that the laser would be pointed upward. This could be dangerous if you live near an airport or if you use a needlessly powerful laser. On of the other hand, drones are probably not going to be spying on you from more than 50 feet away, so around 1mW would probably be enough to protect a bedroom window. "It's probably easier to look into your own windows from your neighbor's property." Yeah, but you can bet that if my neighbors had a camera pointed into my window, I would be upset. Sure, I can draw my curtains, but why should I not be able to both enjoy the sunlight and not be recorded in my home?
- marshray 13y ago
  Shouldn't your neighbors be able to open their eyes in their own backyard without having to rely on their blink reflexes to protect their retinas from burns from your anti-drone laser system?
  - betterunix 13y ago
    It is not as though the system is always-on, nor is the system pointed downward. The point of the system is to activate when a drone is detected, then shine a laser at the drone. Unless your neighbors are standing between the laser and the drone, it's not even remotely dangerous to them. Even if they were somehow struck, there is not reason for the laser to be powerful enough to cause permanent damage even at point-blank range, even with >1s exposure. A typical laser pointer is more powerful than what is needed to blind a CCD at the distances we're talking about. You are exposed to the sort of laser I am talking about whenever you go to a supermarket. Yes, your blink reflex is protecting you from the laser when the clerk puts down their barcode scanner at an odd angle. There are other options, but they are probably more dangerous. Shooting drones out of the sky? Crashing your own drone into the drone that is harassing you? Laws that prohibit, regulate, or restrict civilian drone use? A laser can blind a camera without causing any damage to anything, it can be automated, and you can build safety measures in if you want to be extra-cautious.
    - marshray 13y ago
      > Unless your neighbors are standing between the laser and the drone, it's not even remotely dangerous to them. Even if they were somehow struck, Like if, for example, the drone triggered your system and flew behind the neighbors on purpose. > there is not reason for the laser to be powerful enough to cause permanent damage [...] to blind a CCD at the distances we're talking about. Please cite something in the scientific, engieneering, or hacker literature showing this. Because I think silicon detectors and solid state optics are a lot more resilient (and easier to repair) than human retinas.
      - 13y ago