Welcome to the 21st century — there’s now an anti-drone death ray on the market

By Lulu Chang October 8, 2015

u k cops dealing with sharp rise in drone related incidents camera — Robert Mandel / Shutterstock

The newest manifestation of the anti-missile defense system? A drone death ray device. Sure, it sounds like a figment of a sci-fi director’s imagination, but believe it or not, a few highly skilled technicians in the U.K. have managed to build a so-called “death ray” capable of knocking unmanned aerial vehicles clear out of the sky. “If I can see it, I can kill it,” Rick Sondag, executive vice-president of distributor Liteye Systems told The Guardian. And with confidence like that, what more do you need?

Known as the Anti-UAV Defense System, or Auds, the device looks pretty intimidating, though looks probably do little to strike fear into the hearts of inanimate drones. A number of lightly colored boxes sit on top of two square posts, and The Guardian describes the overall effect as “a particularly menacing pair of weathervanes.” And while Auds may look like the a portion of a tank, Liteye promises that the rifle barrel-like cylinders that are actually responsible for bringing down the drones are nothing to fear. Rather, they’re simply directional radio antennas that produce a focused broadcast capable of knocking out a drone, but won’t have any effects on things like cellphone reception or even untargeted UAVs.

So what’s the interest in shooting down drones? While these unmanned flying devices have grown quite popular over the last few years, even finding their way into commercial applications like delivering products for Amazon, they’ve certainly been used for more insidious purposes. Drones have been cited as culprits in a number of drug-related prison incidents, they’ve caused quite a stir amongst wildlife, and they’ve even hindered firefighting attempts during major natural disasters. And then, of course, there’s just the everyday annoyance of having to deal with a drone as you’re trying to take a nap.

As a result, Liteye projects that its market will be quite large and quite varied, with interest from both airports and homeland security at home and abroad. So if you see a drone tumbling out of the sky anytime soon, you may want to take a closer look around you. You may just catch sight of the Auds.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Audio / Video

Klipsch's Heritage HP 3 look out of the 20th century, but sound like the 21st

Heritage HP-3 walnut

Almost a century ago, Paul Klipsch began experimenting with headphones, creating the world's first pair to play music in stereo audio in 1919. In 1946 he founded his own company, Klipsch and Associates, in order to bring his invention to ears all over the world. In many ways, the world of audio technology would have been very different without him. In honor of its founder and storied history, Klipsch unveiled its new flagship headphones Wednesday, dubbed the Heritage HP-3.

Much like Klipsch's early designs, the Heritage HP-3 headphones feature a handcrafted design inspired by the vintage look of the headphone models from decades past. The headphones are built with high-end materials, such as "die-cast steel, hand-sanded and polished wood, premium-grade leathers, and machined aluminum." The earcups are even padded with angled sheepskin, while the headband is made of hand-stitched cowhide leather. Beyond just providing classy cushions, Klipsch says the sheepskin and cowhide will naturally distress with use, enhancing the vintage aesthetic the company is going for.

Smart Home

Grow Duo adds some 21st-century brains to your old-fashioned garden

Smart gardening device Grow Duo

Many people might not see the connection between technology and nature, but one company is intertwining the two by creating a product that will help you grow plants, vegetables, and fruits at home. Smart gardening company GROW has released the GROW Duo, touted as the first outdoor, connected, self-watering planter.
The sensor-equipped device comes with soil, seeds, and nutrients. The company says that you can be up and running with your new smart planter in 10 minutes through its app, which aids in producing herbs, berries, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, beans, and more. The GROW marketplace includes a variety of seeds, seedlings, soils and nutrients that can be purchased in addition to the device. First-time users get a $20 credit to begin their gardening.
Setting up the GROW Duo requires turning on the smart planter and connecting it to your hose. The battery-powered device can then link up to your Bluetooth-connected iOS or Android smartphone. The app offers recommendations that can suit your needs, all while guiding you through the growing process. You will learn what you can grow based on your environment, including your yard’s air temperature, light, soil moisture, temperature, and the historical weather data of the region.
In-app notifications will inform you of any moves you need to make to keep your garden running smoothly, including adding soil nutrients, pruning, or mulching. GROW Duo also offers automatic watering, which you can customize.
The device has a pre-sale price of $199, which includes the $20 credit, plus a variety of seeds and nutrients. You can pre-order at GROW's website. The regular price is $249.
The startup was launched in 2015 by Idan Cohen and Andrew Wanliss-Orlebar. Cohen came up with the idea for GROW Duo after moving to an apartment and facing difficulties in his quest to build an outdoor garden. Realizing there were no high-quality products on the market other than Click & Grow, Cohen started developing growing technologies with Andrew Wanliss-Orlebar. The two have plenty of experience in consumer-packaged goods, which helped drive forward GROW's mission of creating electronics and hardware to help create a more sustainable home environment.

Cars

VW brings the spirit of the hippie bus into the 21st century with the I.D. Buzz

I.D. Buzz will go into production in 2022 with consumer and commercial versions

Volkswagen I.D. Buzz concept

When it debuted at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, the Volkswagen I.D. Buzz concept was presented as the latest in a long line of design studies that explore what a 21st-century Bus could look like. Now, one of the company's top executives has confirmed the retro-inspired people-mover is finally moving toward production.

At this year's Monterey Car Week, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess confirmed a production version of the I.D. Buzz will arrive in dealerships in 2022. "After the presentations at the global motor shows in Detroit and Geneva, we received a large number of letters and emails from customers who said, 'please build this car,'" Diess said in a statement.
What is it?
The I.D. Buzz name suggests the concept is a follow-up to the original I.D. that broke cover last year during the Paris Auto Show. At 194 inches long, it takes the form of a tall, boxy van whose design is heavily inspired by the original, rear-engined Bus launched in 1950.