Experts Test Methods to Identify Malicious Drones Ahead of Tokyo Olympic Games

A private organization has conducted an experiment to detect malicious drones to prepare for next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

According to a news report, firms that specialize in aeronautical engineering played a key role in a demonstration at a site in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture. During the test, drones were fitted with location transmitters that were classified as friendly devices, while those that did not provide such data were regarded as suspicious, says the report. Experts used the information to make on-the-spot assessments, which will be later reported and submitted to a public-private panel on drones.

Recently, many public and private enterprises, states and government agencies have created legislation around drones or Unmaned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). For instance, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the Stadiums Operating under New Guidance (SONG) Act, which gives the Federal Aviation Administration the authority to issue Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) for concerts and other events held at stadiums across the U.S.

According to the report, Shinji Suzuki, a University of Tokyo Professor and the head of the Japan Unmanned System Traffic & Radio Management Consortium, says Japan urgently needs to develop technology to instantly identify the operators of malicious drones.