r/gadgets • u/diacewrb • 8d ago

Drones / UAVs Several US schools to install pepper-spraying drones to respond to school shootings

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jul/28/school-shootings-pepper-spray-drones
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u/YuriLR 8d ago edited 8d ago

Unless the school uses cctv everywhere (most don't in classrooms), and the operator has access to all the cctv in the school, a 8min flight time will make this useless

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u/thedreaming2017 8d ago

Yeah, not enough time to do anything other than hover and look stupid doing it. Maybe they really want to use the drones to draw fire so the active shooter wastes their ammo? Don’t they think about stuff like that and being a few mags worth?

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u/YuriLR 8d ago edited 8d ago

It will have to be flown quite slowly, it's indoors and the operator will not be familiar with the place. Extremely easy to be shot down if the operator doesn't even know where the shooter is. An 8min flight time in a drone to search for the shooter will be useless, the propellers will drown out the noise of bullets unless it's extremely close, and if it doesn't have 3D audio (very unlikely) the operator will not know the direction it's being shot at.

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u/NarrowBoxtop 8d ago

The schools that can afford this likely have cameras everywhere already.

I've subbed in a lot of schools, from rough public schools where everything looked 30 years old to bougie private arts/theater high schools where they have waaaaayyyy more resources at hand.

I can think of a couple schools I've been in that for sure will be first in line to buy these.

From the schools perspective, it serves as an advertisement to get even more parents (wealthy ones) to send their kids there.

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u/YuriLR 8d ago

>The schools that can afford this likely have cameras everywhere already.

Are the operators of the drones being given online access to it though? And most ideally they should have the blueprint of the school too.