Queensland police have contracted a deal with Australian company Drone Shield to use their drone-blocking guns at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games this April
Queensland police have contracted a deal with Australian company Drone Shield to use their drone-blocking guns at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games this April.
The DroneGun, a rifle-like drone blocker, has already been employed successfully at events internationally, including at three consecutive Boston Marathon races and at the Iron Man World Championships.
It has a range of 2km and works by blocking the transmission between the drone and its remote control.
This disables the video footage and forces the drone to return to its base location or to perform a controlled landing.
The availability of video drones to the general public has significantly increased since their first introduction to the everyday consumer market.
The decision by organisers of the Commonwealth Games comes in response to the rising need to protect the event from rogue users of the drones, who are obtaining footage illegally or using the device for other prohibited activities.
The Games are expected to attract crowds of up to 700,000 and organisers are prioritising the safety and security of athletes, officials and visitors during the sporting event.
A variety of new tech is being showcased and trialled at the Games, including the rollout of telecommunication services by Optus, which hopes to expand the provision of 5G broadband nationwide in 2019.
