Saw this article and found it interesting, not sure how a simple laser pointer can do this but it appears it might or at least several of them together can do so...what does the community think?

November 13, 2019 05:24 PM ET

  

The low-powered presentation tool/dangerous children’s toy is becoming a weapon of choice for protesters around the world trying to take down or disable surveillance tech.

  

Video of Chilean protesters using beams of green light to ground a police drone made the rounds on social media Wednesday. But those aren’t tractor beams or Green Lantern rings—the protesters appear to be using run-of-the-mill laser pointers to take down law enforcement-grade technology. How does that work?

  

Chilean protesters took to the streets last month to speak out against a proposed increase in public transit fares, though the demonstrations have now turned into a countrywide expression of anger over low wages and inequality.

  

Video posted to Reddit late Tuesday appears to show training laser pointer pens on a police drone in an attempt to bring it to the ground. As more light beams make contact with the unmanned aerial system, or UAS, it falters, then almost escapes before a coordinated effort brings it slowly to Earth.

  

The laser pointers could have taken down the drone in the video in one of two ways, according to Christopher Williams, CEO of Citadel Defense Company, which is working with Customs and Border Protection to deploy anti-drone “bubbles” along the border.

  

If the drone was being flown manually by an operator watching through a first-person video, the bright lights might have blinded the camera, causing the operator to lose control. Alternatively, “low powered lasers have the ability to interfere with [infrared] landing sensors,” as well as the downward-facing cameras that detect obstacles below, “forcing a landing or uncontrolled drone behavior,” Williams said.

  

Commentators on Reddit offered a third possibility: that the combined heat from all those laser pointers was enough to melt internal wiring or cause the battery to give out.

  

Beyond drones, laser pointers are fast becoming the tool of choice for protesters around the world. In Hong Kong, people in the streets are using laser pointers to mess with facial recognition and other surveillance technologies.

  

While effective for grassroots purposes, Williams said he does not believe low-powered lasers like these will become widely adopted as counter-drone measures.

  

“Use of these types of lasers is more hazardous and disruptive to humans than it will be for drones,” he said. “There are many other technologies that are less disruptive that provide a superior, more scalable, more reliable and more cost-effective countermeasure.”

  

That said, high-powered lasers are certainly being developed to destroy or otherwise knock drones out of the air. Just last month, the Raytheon delivered the Air Force a high-powered laser to down drones. Rather than scrambling sensors or blinding operators, the high-powered versions turn up the heat, melting a drone’s components or internal wiring or causing batteries to explode.

  

Raytheon declined to comment for this story.

  

The Air Force isn’t the only military branch looking at lasers for counter-drone technology. The Army Fires Battle Lab has been developing an experimental program called the Mobile High-Energy Laser, or MEHEL, since 2017.

  “The industry as a whole is focused on creating a menu of CUAS sensor options that can be adapted to different use cases and price points,” Williams said. “As the threat outpaces government responsiveness and legislative decision making, drone threats and less conventional countermeasures will continue to be an issue.”

https://www.nextgov.com/emerging ... er-pointers/161288/

I think the lasers interfered with the downward sensors forcing the drone into auto land, in the video you can see the operator fighting the forced landing...

I think the answer to this is to trust your initial instincts, that the story is full of technical errors. The theory about it 'interferring with landing sensors' is fanciful, as the DJI aircraft do not use infrared sensors as any part of the landing procedure, rather they use ultrasonics in the earlier models and vision systems in the later ones. As for the 'combined heat' theory, it is absolute rubbish, as anyone who knows anything about lasers will testify. 'Forcing a landing' is also techno-babble as well. Unfortunately, these days journalists have difficulty in separating the plots of sci-fi movies from actual reality, and attribute superpowers to ordinary objects.

As G ... shows .....

It has been already shown to be 'journalistic licence' .....

The use of lasers is to disrupt any photographic data the drone may collect. The forced landing is due to 'other factors' - but journalists like to embellish their story ...

I love how your guesses are written...

No clue, but throw it out there anyway. Hahaha


RedHotPoker

Sophisticated lasers in the hands of the layman today aren't your fathers red laser pen light.









RedHotPoker

This happened again here in the city. Targeting police helicopters.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/c ... er-light/ar-AAJAwrX

It’s been known to happen in the past.

https://edmontonjournal.com/news ... t-police-helicopter

And here again...
https://globalnews.ca/news/12437 ... pointed-at-chopper/

https://edmontonsun.com/2017/07/ ... 6-89cb-5089b1868eb9
Woman even got caught,


RedHotPoker

I dunno.  These new lasers are not simple laser pointers.  They're like James Bond - Goldfinger lasers.  Remember - 007 is strapped to the table and the laser is headed for his crotch while Goldfinger with his back turned is speaking casually to his assistant?  I think that is what might be going on here.  

Mark The Droner Posted at 11-14 16:38
I dunno.  These new lasers are not simple laser pointers.  They're like James Bond - Goldfinger lasers.  Remember - 007 is strapped to the table and the laser is headed for his crotch while Goldfinger with his back turned is speaking casually to his assistant?  I think that is what might be going on here.

Yes, but consider the size of the laser used in the bond movie? Hardly a hand-held tool that could be used by protesters in the streets. I have a 50 Watt industrial laser cutter that was previously used for making rubber stamps, and it will cut most materials, but will not cut metals and has to be kept in the one spot for a period of time to have any effect of thick plastics. Anything that is hand held has no stability, as it cannot be held in the one spot for any period of time. And it will not heat things up and 'cause batteries to explode'. I was being somewhat restrained in my earlier comments, it is not journalistic licence, it is blatant, ignorant, journalistic bullsh1t.

It’s easy enough to use a tripod mount, like in the video I posted above.


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 11-14 17:29
It’s easy enough to use a tripod mount, like in the video I posted above.

On a moving drone? And by protesters that are on the move?

R&L Aerial photography Posted at 11-14 12:38
I think the lasers interfered with the downward sensors forcing the drone into auto land, in the video you can see the operator fighting the forced landing...

While plausible, I have to agree with Geebax, DJI drones do not use landing sensors that would be effected by lasers.  However, we do not know for sure what brand drone they were using, so it could have been effected in some way a DJI would not.

Geebax Posted at 11-14 12:47
I think the answer to this is to trust your initial instincts, that the story is full of technical errors. The theory about it 'interferring with landing sensors' is fanciful, as the DJI aircraft do not use infrared sensors as any part of the landing procedure, rather they use ultrasonics in the earlier models and vision systems in the later ones. As for the 'combined heat' theory, it is absolute rubbish, as anyone who knows anything about lasers will testify. 'Forcing a landing' is also techno-babble as well. Unfortunately, these days journalists have difficulty in separating the plots of sci-fi movies from actual reality, and attribute superpowers to ordinary objects.

I'm thinking it was operator error, when his video/camera was being effected he panicked and attempted to evade the lights and in the process dropped it down.

RedHotPoker Posted at 11-14 13:21
I love how your guesses are written...

No clue, but throw it out there anyway. Hahaha

RHP love your passion bro...but

RedHotPoker Posted at 11-14 14:18
Sophisticated lasers in the hands of the layman today aren't your fathers red laser pen light.

https://youtu.be/DMVWW-bmKwQ

Would it be a waste of time to point out that the lasers they were using were green, not blue...

Mark The Droner Posted at 11-14 16:38
I dunno.  These new lasers are not simple laser pointers.  They're like James Bond - Goldfinger lasers.  Remember - 007 is strapped to the table and the laser is headed for his crotch while Goldfinger with his back turned is speaking casually to his assistant?  I think that is what might be going on here.

Not sure if you were being serious but I did find the idea humorous...
I'm pretty sure a small handheld laser can't do that kind of damage at that distance, and as Geebax noted they'd have to be far more steady in their aim.

RedHotPoker Posted at 11-14 17:29
It’s easy enough to use a tripod mount, like in the video I posted above.

Even the military needs a stable platform beyond a tripod and a computerized tracking system to get that kind of laser power on target and have the effect being stated here.  I seriously doubt that the crowd had that level of technology at their disposal and I don't think a tripod would do the trick either.

Genghis9 Posted at 11-14 19:24
RHP love your passion bro...but

Eh, yeah, rib tickles. Ticklers.

Are you hungry? Do you like Vin Diesel??

I prefer Miracle Whip over Mayonnaise. ;-)

RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 11-14 20:53
Eh, yeah, rib tickles. Ticklers.

Are you hungry? Do you like Vin Diesel??

pfff  ..lol

If one day I fly at night, I will try to turn off all the LEDs of the drone so as not to be seen, the problem lies in being visually detected

Genghis9 Posted at 11-14 19:30
Even the military needs a stable platform beyond a tripod and a computerized tracking system to get that kind of laser power on target and have the effect being stated here.  I seriously doubt that the crowd had that level of technology at their disposal and I don't think a tripod would do the trick either.

I wasn’t lasers that killed the beast.

It was The Airplane... haha



These units are loaded with fun...


RedHotPoker

It's all well above my pay-grade !  

As G ... I also have a Laser Cutter ... it needs to be focused ... distance to target needs to be at set controlled distance ... it takes time to cut ...

Not some hand held jobbie ... the most likely is the operator lost relayed visual due to the lasers 'flashing' the camera .. and in so doing lost control.

Media playing on the ignorance of Joe Public ...

I love lasers...






In the navy...

RedHotPoker

Nebuchadnezzar Posted at 11-14 23:37
pfff  ..lol

Oh you. Haha


#thanks for the memories. . . ;-)


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 11-15 02:18
I love lasers...

https://youtu.be/jIxugT-QiEI

D.E.W dIRECT ENERGY wEAPONS

  

Yeh ... I can just see some Chilean Protestor carrying a Helios in the demo ...

Maybe time to stay on topic ... "Protesters Bring Down Drone Using Lasers" ..... HAND HELD lasers ...

In fact when you watch the video there are two facts that seem to be ignored :

1. Its a mix of flashlights and lasers ... look carefully at the light 'beams' a lot are not straight beam laser - but narrow cones - indicating focused flashlights. That indicates the protesters were 'flashing' the camera.
2. The drone lands out well away from camera - I've searched online to try and find a report of where that drone landed ... other than journalistic crap - its not stated ... watching that short video - it appears that the drone landed some distance from the centre of the crowd - indicating that it was 'flown' clear of the crowd. It did not appear to be floundering in its descent.

Journalistic crap ... 'as they say - Nought so gullible as folk' ....  

DARPA Project NIMBUS " Laser Guided lighting weapon (California wild fires)

Sitting on my leather easy chair.

A good fart, and I actually levitate, & momentarily actually lift off...


If I’m a natural Floater, free range pilot.





RedHotPoker

Well you could technically bring down certain DJI drones in a way, some drones have a bottom 2D TOF sensor, by flooding it light from a laser and creating interference i assume you make the drone believe it it is close enough to the ground to initiate an auto landing, all the pilot would need to do is throttle down and it would try to auto land. Also your blinding the pilots vision on the camera, i could imagine some inexperienced pilots getting confused.

Hi Ben ... the matter of the downward sensors on DJI has been hammered out on other threads and forums. Basically the consensus appears to discount this. Because some are Ultrasonic as in P3P etc. and others that are 'visual' use contrast.

The Ultrasonics are completely immune to Laser obviously.

Contrast will not work as any laser / light shone will blanket the sensor. Bit like flying low over water or large area of uniform grass.
As posted before - the most logical answer is the loss of video feedback for the operator to be sure of orientation etc. He's then left only with pure LoS of the model and the event that is subject of the thread - is at night. Operator doesn't stand much chance ..

solentlife Posted at 11-15 02:31
Yeh ... I can just see some Chilean Protestor carrying a Helios in the demo ...

Maybe time to stay on topic ... "rotesters Bring Down Drone Using Lasers" ..... HAND HELD lasers ...

Thanks for the insights & knowledge as always

While nice to do, staying on topic with RHP is a near impossibility...

Genghis9 Posted at 11-15 06:58
Thanks for the insights & knowledge as always

While nice to do, staying on topic with RHP is a near impossibility...

Cheers ...

Just reading various reports ... other forums ... what I think and consider logic...

The videos on various sites are all very limited in depth and real info. But what is there just does not add up in my opinion. But when did any journalist care about that ? Too often they fill in the 'holes' with their own sensationalist rubbish ...

I heard a comment from one 'reporter' years ago ,,, 'Who cares about truth - truth doesn't sell'

Can the presentation clicker damage the camera sensor?

saimi123 Posted at 1-25 10:34
Can the presentation clicker damage the camera sensor?

Saimi123
This is what you call a phantom thread...
Recommend you start a new thread to ask this question...
I'm sorry I do not know the technical answer to your question, the best I can suggest is no it won't, but again there are others here who do know the answer.