Tokyo’s solution to rogue drones? Drones with nets

Law enforcement agencies the world over are worried about the power of drones, and how nefarious types could use them for evil. Tokyo has decided that there’s only one thing to be done about the problem, which is to form an anti-drone squad that’ll apprehend rogue fliers in the air. Rather than using a dragnet on the ground, the anti-drone drone will use an actual net* to scoop up suspects and carry them away to safety. That may sound like it’s being done for the LOLs, but it’s deadly serious — officers found a drone carrying radioactive material on the roof of the country’s prime minister back in April.

If our eyes are to be believed, it looks as if the police are using a DJI Spreading Wings 900 with a large 3 x 2 meter square of net tied to its feet. When a rogue drone is spotted in the air, the police unit will fly overhead, scooping up the smaller craft and dragging it away to safety. It’s an elegant solution, and one that’ll be tested by a single drone this month, with a full fleet of 10 guarding significant government buildings going into operation next February.

http://link.brightcove.co.jp/services/player/bcpid829454350002?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAShZ2ado~,6pMUcVri-k7vbWAt_n5bPPed0saZhc1V&bctid=911701648002&autoStart=false&width=640&height=360

It’s not the first country to look into dealing with the potential threats that UAVs pose since they can get about pretty much anywhere. Earlier this year, France launched its own anti-drone drone that chases down and triangulates the identity and location of the pilot, directing law enforcement officers straight to ’em. Man, just when there’s a whole host of desirable drones hitting the market, the feds start building ways to snatch ’em away from you.

*Wait, a net in the sky is called a… SkyNet, right? Viene Tormenta!

Source: Asahi Shimbun, Nikkei, The Mainichi

Google’s Project Sunroof can assess homes in more states

Solar panels are a huge investment, so something like Project Sunroof that can tell you if they’re a good fit for your location is extremely useful. The good news is, the initiative is expanding to more locations across the US. Now, if you have a house in select metro areas in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Nevada and North Carolina, you can try plugging in your address on the tool and check if it covers your location. If it does, you’ll get an assessment of how many hours of usable sunlight you can get per year, how much of your roofspace can can be covered by solar panels and how much money you can save by getting a solar installation.

Project Sunroof uses the same visuals as Google Earth, and according to the Google Green blog, it looks at the orientation of your roof, the surrounding trees and buildings, as well as local weather patterns to make its assessment. You can try out Project Sunroof on its website — if you live outside its covered areas just click “Try a Demo” to see how it works.

Source: Google

Red launches the Scarlet-W, an entry-level 5K video camera

Shooting a film or commercial with the same high-end equipment as a Peter Jackson or David Fincher just got cheaper. Red just revealed the $9,950 Scarlet-W and Scarlet-W Monochrome, cameras that shoot 5K RAW video and 2K ProRes with the company’s Dragon sensor. For slo-mo, the 3.5-pound camera can handle 60 fps in 5K widescreen, 150 fps at 4K, and 300 fps at 2K resolutions. The model sits between the high-end $29,000 6K Epic model and the recently launched $5,950 Raven. Red’s Jared Land told No Film School that the Raven is intended for drone or gimbal work, while the Scarlet-W is an entry-level main camera. “All of our [latest] cameras have the Dragon sensor in common, so intercutting footage between the entire line is pretty seamless.”

Unlike past models, previous Scarlet cameras can’t be upgraded to the Scarlet-W, which puts a dent in the company’s “obsolescence obsolete” mantra. However, owners of the last Scarlet Dragon model will get a $2,500 reduction on the entry-level shooting package with a Canon mount (Nikon is also available), paying $12,000 instead of the regular $14,500 price — and will still get to keep the old one. The price should make it a hit with indie producers and rental houses, though Arri’s Alexa and other models are arguably much more popular in mainstream films. Meanwhile, directors like Tarantino and Nolan still prefer to shoot on celluloid.

Source: Red

Why not make a McNugget vending machine out of Legos?

The answer? Because after about 15 minutes they’re not nearly as good. That minor hiccup aside, the YouTubers at Astonishing Studios have created this to celebrate the glorious food-like item that is the chicken nugget. Built and automated entirely by Lego Mindstorms, it can identify and process the proper payment before dispensing a four piece package of McNuggets on demand, with sauce. It only holds a couple of cartons, but without any way to heat — of course Japan has that figured out — or cool them, that sounds about right.

Whatever you consider regarding the practicality of such a device, it could at least be a fun break in between prototypes of world-destroying robots. Check out the Astonishing Studios YouTube channel and website for other odd examples of what can be done with a few smart bricks and gears — the post-video breakdowns explaining how things work are the best parts.

Via: The Verge, Gizmodo, FoodBeast

Source: Astonishing Studios (YouTube)