Interesting article - Michigan State University - Hijack drones?

[AVLJMA]

This is an interesting article about an experiment using light and lasers to hijack a drone. Bright light fools the obstacle avoidance sensors into thinking it is an object and maneuvers to go around. With the right combination of lights you could have the drone turn in the direction you want. I suppose this could be thwarted by putting your settings to BRAKE instead of avoiding the obstacle.
Here is the article.

Hackers Find a Weird New Way to Hijack DJI Drones

 

[retiredNH]

Whoever is behind this is pretty desperate for attention. There are theoretical risks and practical risks. Pilot error is a practical risk that happens all the time. This is a theoretical risk that will never happen in the real world, IMHO. Can you imagine people shining bright lights on a drone in the real world and the drone pilot not noticing something is off?

 

[AVLJMA]

Whoever is behind this is pretty desperate for attention. There are theoretical risks and practical risks. Pilot error is a practical risk that happens all the time. This is a theoretical risk that will never happen in the real world, IMHO. Can you imagine people shining bright lights on a drone in the real world and the drone pilot not noticing something is off?

That's true. And a laser would be hard pressed to hit a moving target several hundred feet in the air.

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

This is an interesting article about an experiment using light and lasers to hijack a drone. Bright light fools the obstacle avoidance sensors into thinking it is an object and maneuvers to go around. With the right combination of lights you could have the drone turn in the direction you want. I suppose this could be thwarted by putting your settings to BRAKE instead of avoiding the obstacle.
Here is the article.

Hackers Find a Weird New Way to Hijack DJI Drones

Seems highly impractical. Besides, they use the word “could”. I disagree. When my MPP faces into the sun low in the sky, it doesn’t try to go around it… it just stops. Anyway, I typically turn off obstacle avoidance if I’m above tree tops so I can fly faster, and I don’t get hassled by the sun (or some crazy MSU student.)
Maybe APAS has that go around functionality. Never liked it, don’t use it, don’t trust it.

 

[Wade L.]

So MSU “researchers” are researching ways to illegally interfere with a drone. Super. Have they nothing better to do? Would their research be sanctioned by the university if they were researching ways to interfere with the operations of manned aircraft? Dumb.

 

[SmilingOgre]

They're smoking too much of something.