Will a Drone Be Your Next Home Security Guard Dog?

[JAW]

Some might remember Colin Guinn as the original spokesman and first CEO of DJI North America. He was an articulate and knowledgeable face for DJI and in my opinion greatly helped DJI get where it is today. Others might know him along with his partner as recurring participants in the TV reality show The Great Race. He gave an online interview for DroneLife where he discusses, among other things, a startup named Sunflower Labs that will use a small drone along with sensors to patrol your property. Sound a bit far fetched?
Check it out at:

Industry Veteran Colin Guinn on the Commercial Drone Industry, New Regs, and Why Sunflower Labs Will Be the DJI of Their Space

DRONELIFE EXCLUSIVE: Colin Guinn on the drone industry, drone regulations, and his new gig at Sunflower Labs. It’s kind of hard to get in touch with Colin Guinn. That’s because he’s

dronelife.com

 

[Scoutuas]

Not far fetched whatseoever. The minute these things hit the market, I'll be installing them throughout the southeast.

 

[JAW]

Not far fetched whatseoever. The minute these things hit the market, I'll be installing them throughout the southeast.

My only negative thought is using it outdoors in controlled airspace. Even though max altitude is probably less than 25', you'd still be in technical violation. Could a waiver be obtained if the drone was hard wired with a max altitude of say 25' ?

 

[Scoutuas]

"controlled airspace" and "technical violation" is the direction of the snail federal regulation bodies. We WILL push forward with technological innovation and provide the public the absolute best service and security no matter what the very so slow regulating bodies do. We will not wait for their slow to react policies or slow to proactively promote...so to answer your questions, no, no waiver will be provided (especially since the drone wont fly over 40ft)

 

[Kilrah]

The minute these things hit the market, I'll be installing them throughout the southeast.

And get a lot returned cause you can be sure every neightbour is going to complain about the noise and privacy issues.

 

[JAW]

And get a lot returned cause you can be sure every neightbour is going to complain about the noise and privacy issues.

From the looks of the "spotter" drone and the fact that it potentially stays more or less inside your property boundaries, noise and privacy shouldn't be an issue. Of course, that doesn't mean neighbors won't complain anyway. And that's the rub.........



Here's a video from the company:

 

[Kilrah]

Yup. For this use case I don't think the hurdle will be the government and regulations, but all the individuals around. They will fight as much as you do to get them banned, and they're many more.

 

[The Editor]

Ah yes, Mr Guinn. The cellphone salesman!
Wondered what happened to him after the DJI lawsuit.

Is he still around - he's had more jobs than Joan Collins has had husband's.
Mr Slimeball himself.

So he's come up with something that everyone's security cameras are already doing for them with facial recognition, push notifications and object tracking.
Mine works 24/7 up to the cloud. Wonder how long the batteries will last on the 'bees'.
Seems like using a drone for the sake of it.....but then he never was the sharpest tool in the box.

Oh look....he's gone back to reality TV.
Says it all really.

 

[JAW]

1. Will the homeowner have to register with the FAA?, or
2. If the company retains ownership and "leases" the equipment, will the company have a 107 ticket?
3. Who pays the fines if the homeowner gets dinged for operating in controlled airspace?
4. Does the homeowner get full disclosure re: sUAS operations?

All is moot if the drone weighs less than .55 pounds (8.8 ozs)

 

[brianv]

it appears that a motion sensor causes the drone to take flight and record the area of movement. if that is the case, then there is no pilot. There may be a monitoring office open 24/7 that can override the automatic controls. Stationary outdoor mounted cameras triggered by movement do the same, although the drone could automatically follow the bad guy down the street to his parked automobile.

 

[Meta4]

This has been a concept since 2016.
It seems they aren't having much luck getting it off the ground.
A look at their FAQ suggests that customers are getting restless about not having a product yet.

Sunflower Labs | Frequently Asked Questions

Sunflower Labs makes an autonomous outdoor security system that senses and deters unwanted visitors before they’re at your door.

sunflower-labs.com

Some of the FAQs
When will the Sunflower system start shipping?
How much will it cost?
I thought your system would be shipping by now?
What is taking so long?
How do you deal with current drone regulations?
Can I get a refund of my reservation fee?