INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Software for Business
Kaspersky launches new
solution to combat risks
from civilian drones
/////////////////////////////
With an increasing demand for protection from
potential drone attacks, Kaspersky has launched
Kaspersky Antidrone software.
K
aspersky has launched a new solution
designed to help organisations and
property owners defend themselves
from unauthorised trespassing by civilian
drones. Through a combination of several
sensors – including a new approach to
drone detection founded by the company
using laser scanning and Machine Learning
technologies – Kaspersky Antidrone can
automatically spot, identify and prohibit
unmanned aircraft from entering restricted
areas. This is done without damaging
the devices.
In 2018, the global drone market was
estimated to be worth US$14 billion and
is expected to reach US$43 billion by
2024. However, the mass adoption of
this technology could be affected by the
negative connotations often associated
with drones.
This perception is largely driven by cases of
improper or illegal use of unmanned aircraft.
For these reasons it is important to build
and maintain trust in the technology and
70
INTELLIGENTCIO
safeguard its role as a key innovation for
businesses and individuals, by ensuring that
it does not pose a risk to privacy and safety.
To help make the use of unmanned aircraft
systems safer, reduce the associated risks and
increase operator responsibility, Kaspersky has
developed its own antidrone solution.
Kaspersky Antidrone software co-ordinates
the work of several hardware modules
provided by partners and distinguishes
drones from other objects. The primary
detection module searches for drones using
video cameras combined with radar, LIDAR
and audio sensors – depending on the
customers’ needs and environment. Using
a laser scanner to determine the position of
the drone is unique to Kaspersky’s solution
and has not been applied to this field before.
When a moving object is detected in the
sky, its co-ordinates are transmitted to a
dedicated server, which then sends them on
to a special unit. In accordance with data
from the primary detection module, this unit
rotates towards the object, tracks it and then
the camera zooms in on it. At the same time,
a neural network, trained to identify drones
among other moving items, analyses the
object on the video.
If it is distinguished as a drone, the server
sends the command to the dedicated module
to jam the communication between the
device and its controller. As a result, the drone
either flies back to the place it took off from
or lands in the location where it lost signal
with the controller. This means that the device
will not be damaged, as there is no physical
contact or attack towards the drone.
Vladimir Turov, Project Owner of Kaspersky
Antidrone, said: “Unfortunately, as a
drone pilot, you often don’t know which
locations are prohibited, so when your
drone is unexpectedly crushed or physically
attacked with hostile protection measures,
it is very frustrating. That’s why, during
the development of our product, we took
the interests of drone enthusiasts as well
as safety requirements and concerns into
account. This helped us develop a way to
ensure drones do not enter prohibited areas,
without damaging them.” n
www.intelligentcio.com