The walls are going up, the technology is being prepared, and by fall the cyber attacks on drones may be underway.
Researchers at Northeastern University are working with a division of the U.S. Department of Defense on something very unusual.
It is called an "anechoic chamber," and the university team says the room will completely absorb electromagnetic waves. This allows researchers to create any type of wireless environment they would like while drones fly inside.
Northeastern News explains:
"Researchers will be able to use the chamber to simulate hostile environments the military might face. For example, a drone flying into enemy territory might be attacked by way of wireless interference. At the new facility, researchers will be able to deliberately attack their own drones, safely and accurately simulating enemy threats. Then, they can develop countermeasures to defend against those attacks."
Attacks could include wireless signal jamming, spoofing, and other enemy interference techniques.
The drone hacking and
The netted space is large enough for two groups of drones to be flown at the same time. Maybe they'll be attacking each other a la BattleBots—who doesn't want to be a part of that research project?
Researchers also hope to test groups of drones and the ways they might work together to help with things like emergency response.
And that's what this rare type of facility is all about: preparing drones for the worst, so they can be at their best when lives are on the line.
[Images credit: Matthew Modoono / Northeastern University]
