Drones on Beach PatrolNicholas West Australia is looking to introduce a drone beach patrol on North Stradbroke Island in the name of public safety. If the test is successful, the plan will go nationwide, according to ABC News Australia. Brett Williamson, head of an organization called Surf Life Saving Australia, would like to see a system of drones that will fly along the coast, including remote beach areas, and be equipped with sirens and flotation buoys that will give the ability to drop into the ocean to provide assistance to those in distress. The public is always introduced to high-tech surveillance as a means of protecting their security. This friendly face quickly turns to the dark side as the invasiveness increases.Local media uncovered testing of drones within the U.S. in 2007, and additional research revealed tests to have been coordinated over American soil further back than that. Since that time, drones have taken center stage with the emergence ofmicro-dronesandnano-drones that can mimic nature itself. Governments everywhere are beginning towelcome drones into civilian airspace, in addition to war zones, leaving no place potentially unchecked. Furthermore, the miniaturization of drone surveillance, as well as their relatively low cost of development and operation, is causing them to proliferate at a seemingly exponential rate. video platform video management video solutions video player Likewise, we hear the call for autonomous drones to be deployed for natural disasters and for peacekeeping missions, giving rise to a synthetic surveillance and police to augment the already growing physical police state in much of the Western world. We should keep in mind that even very small drones can be weaponized, like the U.S. Armys Lethal Miniature Aerial Munition System. Its for when the Army needs someone dead from up to six miles away in 30 minutes or less. How small will the new mini-drone be? The Armys less concerned about size than it is about the drones weight, according to a recent pre-solicitation for businesses potentially interested in building the thing. The whole system drone, warhead and launch device has to weigh under five pounds. An operator should be able to carry the future Lethal Miniature Aerial Munition System, already given the acronym LMAMS in a backpack and be able to set it up to fly within two minutes. (Source) Perhaps soon well be walking along a beach, feeling the warm sun on our skin, hear a hum and look into a cloudless blue sky to see a daytime version of the synchronized drone swarm in the video below arriving to disturb our peace. Do you agree with Brett Williamson that this type of public safety measure will not intrude on peoples privacy? Main source for this article: Read other articles by Nicholas West HERE linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 