Dangerous Drones: Pork Roast Proves Ralphie’s Mom Was Right — You’ll Put Your Eye Out!
We know that military drones are dangerous, but a pork roast is proving that hobby drones could pose serious threats as well. Researchers in Denmark have conducted the first of several experiments that will examine the dangers of hobby drone collisions.
The Drone Research Lab, at Denmark’s Aalborg University, launched a 1 kg drone rotor traveling at 15 meters per second toward a pork roast and filmed it in slow motion. According to TechRadar, the experiment was mainly done with the “purpose of adjusting the catapult.”
“The plan is to upgrade the catapult for bigger drones and faster speeds as the team get [sic] more experienced,” reports TechRadar.
The danger that a drone poses to a pork roast is evident in that video as the rotor slashes and then impales the slab of meat. Despite the stated purpose of this first experiment, it should be noted that pork has a tissue density similar to that of a human. In fact, pigs and pork meat are used by law enforcement as a human tissue replacement to make forensic comparisons ranging from decomposition under specific conditions to ballistics tests. So this calibration test may provide more for the researchers to study moving forward.
The dangers of hobby drones will continue to increase as the price of drones and the components to craft them decrease. The research planned at Aalborg is serious business.
The drone lab director, Anders la Cour-Harbo, stated, “The objective is to examine the consequences when different kinds of drones hit people, animals, cars, glass panes and other obstacles they may encounter in their path.”
As such, it seems logical that the team would use pork in future tests to simulate humans or other animals. It is unclear yet how this research will affect the drone industry. Presumably, the research will be used to improve safety features on hobby drones.
However, drones are dangerous in other ways that the research is not likely to address. For example, what happens when a drone collides with the engine of a 747 in mid-flight? It is unknown if the team can or will build a catapult capable of 747 speeds, but it seems unlikely. The current device is three meters long. A much longer rail would be needed to increase the velocity to that of a jet. Also, such high speeds are not practical within a laboratory.
While investigators have not reached a conclusion as to the identity of the object, engineers have examined the aircraft and have cleared it to operate on its next scheduled flight. Damage was obviously minimal, but if investigators and police determine that the object was a drone, it will mark the first time that a drone has collided with a major airline craft.
The dangerous implications of a drone/airliner collision bring forth issues that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other organizations will have to address. Currently, hobby drones are primarily operated using radio controls with limited range, but the commercial industry has been looking into ways to utilized navigation systems that increase the range of drones or allow them to fly autonomously. Amazon Prime Air is a future delivery system that Amazon wishes to use to expedite quick delivery of orders to Amazon customers.
FAA Decision May Move @amazon Closer to #Drone Delivery Program https://t.co/c8zUL21VNS @FAANews #dronedelivery pic.twitter.com/yLOzayUGxy
— tED magazine (@tEDmagazine) April 13, 2016
As the number and range of such drones increases, the dangers they pose becomes evident. In addition, the hobbyist industry usually follows suit once commercial technologies prove effective and come down in price. Despite the fact that commercial and hobby drones are comparatively smaller than conventional aircraft, the dangers they pose are real. It would not be surprising to see the FAA require certain restrictions and perhaps even specific licensing to fly such craft in the future.
Foster Farms refs be like…
"You'll shoot your eye out kid" pic.twitter.com/C9wLe0scI6
— Brady Norgard (@bradynorgard) December 27, 2015
In the movie A Christmas Story, all Ralphie wanted for Christmas was “a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.”
As hobby drones continue to become more affordable, kids these days may be wishing for a drone of their own. However, the drone/pork roast collision in the video shows that mothers may end up mimicking Raphie’s mom, telling their kids, “You’ll put your eye out!”
[Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images]
