Gas-Powered Shoulder Cannon Blasts Nets At Wayward Drones

Drones being operated in places they're not allowed — the White House, over airports, etc. — has been a growing issue, and researchers have moved quickly to develop various neutralizing weapons that take down such drones. Nets seem to be the most popular method, as they have a large spread and the drone's rotors get tangled up easily. Deploying those nets isn't so easy though — that is, until SkyWall100 was developed.

The SkyWall100 is a gas-powered shoulder-mounted 'cannon' that someone can use to shoot a net at a drone, taking it down quickly and with a high degree of precision. It's advertised as a tool for security, among other things, enabling guards to take down drones operating in restricted airspace.

The first model to be released will be the SkyWall100, but it seems other models will be made in the future. SkyWall100 feature a gas-powered launcher and an "intelligence programmable projectile." The maker promises SkyWall can be quickly reloaded, and the net projectile can be equipped with a parachute that lowers the drone slowly (applicable in crowded places, for example).

SkyWall is the brainchild of OpenWorks Engineering, a UK company. The cannon itself weighs about 30lbs, and includes sights to help the operator zero in on the drone. The projectile has a range of 100 meters. In the future, a more powerful SkyWall200 model will be offered — it'll include a tripod mount — as well as a SkyWall 300 model, which will be somewhat autonomous.

VIA: The Register