Vortex Cannon vs Drone #MarkRober
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00:00Hiding inside this box is an absolute marvel of engineering you might just find
00:04Protecting you the next time you're at a public event. That's got a lot of people
00:11And while this just might look like a boring old drone, it's actually one of the fastest in the world
00:16It's autonomous and it weighs five times more than is typical because the purpose of this drone is to lock on to a bad guy
00:24Drone trying to do bad guy things and then smash it into a thousand pieces
00:28Now the drones have become so incredibly cheap fast and maneuverable
00:32It's only a matter of time before they're used to carry explosives to attack key infrastructure or even worse
00:38But before you get too worried, there's some good news here
00:41And so today we're gonna take a look at all the latest
00:44Technologies being developed to combat this very possible scenario and then after we see how the pros are doing it
00:50We'll investigate how a few backyard YouTube engineers would handle the same problem
00:55I don't want to give too much away
00:57It might involve giant dart turrets Tesla coil water guns and the world's largest vortex cannon now to kick things off with the pros
01:04I headed down to a company called
01:06Andrew who are one of the leaders when it comes to drone defense where I met up with their founder Palmer lucky who by the
01:12Way, you might recognize as the dude who dropped out of school at 19 years old to invent the oculus VR headset and right out
01:17Of the gate he set the stage
01:19The United States has the ability to defend against fighter jet attacks or bomber invasions and zero ability to control what happens in the first
01:25Few hundred feet of our airspace. That's the thing we have to solve
01:27We have to tame the Wild West Palmer explained to me
01:29There are six primary ways to take out a drone with bad intentions and every method has a major flaw
01:35Except for number six
01:36The first is jamming where you just overwhelm the drone with fake radio signals
01:41So it can no longer hear the instructions from the human operator and they lose control
01:4570% of all consumer drones are from DJI and they actually provide the equipment to law enforcement that will jam the
01:52Communications like this the second method to take out a drone of bad intentions is hacking where you remotely hack into the drone using the
01:58radio signal and then by
01:59Exploiting known problems in the software you can take control and force it to land or crash
02:04But Palmer pointed out the potential Achilles heel for both of these first two methods
02:08All they have to do to bypass that is use a different brand of drone use different brand of radio
02:12Use a different frequency or build a drone that doesn't even need those frequencies in the first place
02:17Basically by using something besides the most popular consumer drones and frequencies means this would have no effect
02:22Method number three is high-powered lasers where you basically just heat up the outside
02:27Surface of the drone so high that it catches fire and this works pretty well against plastic drone casings
02:33But once again, there's a weakness. What if I just hang a five cent pie tin?
02:37It takes orders of magnitude more energy to burn through a metal reflective high tin
02:43The next method is a focused beam of microwave energy like an EMP
02:47The goal here is to induce a current in the drone electronics so high that it fries the brain of the drone
02:52But as Palmer explained all the bad guy has to do to mitigate
02:55This is to buy some cheap copper tape from Home Depot
02:58And once you cover the body of the drone, it becomes practically invisible to this attack
03:03he can reduce the amount of power that gets to the internal electronics from an EMP by orders of magnitude and that means a
03:10Microwave beam gun that was previously able to fry a drone at
03:132,000 meters away now only works if that copper taped drone is two meters away
03:19So now the beam gun is basically useless coming into number five our nets fired in the air from other drones
03:25And this makes sense if you're trying to capture the bad drone for forensic investigation
03:29But net carrying drones by default are going to be slower and less maneuverable
03:34So they're beatable with speed and agility now all this would be real bad news
03:38Were it not for the sixth method that even works if you designed a super drone that combined all the tricks to defeat methods
03:44One through five and it's possibly the oldest method of destruction known to man
03:51Smashing stuff
03:55Because this method is so foolproof Andrew makes a blazing fast drone
04:00Appropriately called anvil whose only job is to use kinetic energy to bust up a dangerous drone into thousands of pieces
04:08Imagine a children's bowling ball thrown twice as fast as a Major League Baseball fastball
04:14That's what it's like getting hit by anvil so naturally after hearing all of this
04:18I wanted to see it in action
04:20So they took me out to their test grounds where they set up a scenario where a bad guy drone was zooming towards our position
04:27Thank goodness. We got anvil now
04:28They immediately identified the drone even before it had taken off and that's due to the towers you see here each tower has sensors on
04:35Radar optical cameras or IR detectors and then they use computer vision machine learning and AI to detect classify and track
04:43Everything of interest in a designated area. It's so precise
04:47In fact, it will actually identify and track every single bird on the test range
04:52They call this software system lattice and it's the real secret sauce at the core of their company
04:57So what we do is we detect a drone classify what it is
05:00And if it's something that anvil needs to go after let's say you try to jam it you try to hack it
05:03It doesn't work. You now launch anvil. Oh
05:07Here it goes anvil immediately zoomed out to the bad guy drone, but importantly it didn't engage instead
05:13It just locked into position about 30 meters underneath it perfectly mirroring the other drones movements turn for turn
05:20Just waiting for a human operator to give the go-ahead to use its terminal guidance sensors to close the gap and attack from below
05:27Smashing into the drone at speeds approaching 200 miles an hour
05:31Now besides use anvil they have other systems too such as Roadrunner here
05:35Which is designed to take out faster and larger drones where you would typically have to fire a Patriot missile
05:41but unlike a Patriot missile Roadrunner costs an order of magnitude less and if you just scare off the threat without needing to engage then
05:49It could come back to be reused for another time
05:51Ultimately Andrew is taking the SpaceX approach to using cutting-edge engineering to make things way more capable for way less money
05:59And you know, they're doing something right because they have some portion of their solutions currently implemented in a lot of different places
06:05Southern border northern border national parks military bases around critical infrastructure around nuclear energy sites
06:11There's a lot of sensitive places where you don't want to have no idea who's there and what they might be doing
06:17So now that we've got a handle on how the pros do drone defense the question
06:21You're probably wondering is how would Mark Rober do drone defense?
06:24And I think the answer is it would probably look something like this a seven foot tall fully
06:29Articulated mega turrets that fires a six shooter barrel worth of pre-loaded mega darts
06:34And so to properly test out how effective this was I called three of my engineering buddies who also came up with their own
06:40Ideas on how they would tackle the problem and it sort of turned into a four-person backyard engineering competition
06:45so in addition to my mega turret their designs might include a fully electrified drone squirt gun a
06:50Vortex cannon that could do some real damage
06:53And even a very scrappy system that does a little of its own autonomous drone track
06:57But for context on our bootstrapped engineering showdown, it's important that I first let you know about a super secret project
07:03I've been working on for over two years because ever since I launched crunch labs
07:07The biggest bit of feedback was that this is great for kids to have a bunch of fun learning how to create and build
07:12But what about something for teenagers and adults?
07:15Well, I'm happy to say that starting today that exists now and this is it
07:19It's called hack pack and it's basically a series of really fun programmable robots that get delivered right to your door
07:25Where we build it together and learn step by step the kinds of engineering skills that go into making the builds on my channel
07:32And don't be intimidated because all these use a programmable microcontroller as the brain
07:36So if you could put together a Lego set you can put together this and it will work right out of the box
07:41No programming required and it will still be really fun
07:46Heck yeah, meaning for the first desktop turret robot
07:49It works just like my mega turret where the IR remote can spin it
07:54360 degrees and you can fire the six shooter barrel worth of preloaded darts either one at a time or rapid fire after which you just
08:00Refill the magnetic snap-on barrel cartridge and then for the next box
08:04You'll be building this awesome domino robot that will follow any line you put on the ground and lay down a path of dominoes
08:10Right on that path, but then it knows to stop for a refill when it runs out
08:16After that
08:17You've got this oversized custom label maker that works using just a sharpie and a roll of masking tape or this beautiful sand garden
08:24Controlled with the polar gantry, but here's the thing that makes these totally different
08:28And this is the real magic of hack pack
08:31You can easily hack the brains of any of these robots in a bunch of ways to completely level up the functionality
08:37So for example for the desktop turret you can make it password protected
08:40So only you can control it
08:42And if your friend tries and gets it wrong the robots gonna let him know that or there's a party mode sort of like pie
08:47Face where everyone sits around the table and it will spin around as it terrifyingly plays with your emotions
08:53Or you can hack it
08:54So when your dad turns on the TV the receiver picks up on that signal and autonomously
08:58Turns to his chair to unload the full barrel of darts
09:02But there's even hardware hacks too so it can continuously scan your office
09:05And if you add a proximity sensor to detect an intruder
09:08It will give them six convincing rapid-fire reasons to get the heck out
09:12So all these cool ideas act as a motivator for you to check out the web-based coding module where you can plug in your robot
09:19Brain and make any of these updates and when you're there
09:22You'll see there's three levels at level one the code is fully locked down
09:25And you can only swap out the full code for verified new hacks like the passcode hack at level two you can now change some
09:31Key variables like how quickly the barrel turns or how many numbers to put in your passcode lock and then at level three you have
09:37Full access to change everything and since my goal is to take you from wherever you're curly at and then level you up
09:43There's a community where you can post questions as well as an AI chat bot named mark robot that will check your code for you
09:49And help you implement your most creative ideas and each really slick looking
09:53Hackpack box that gets delivered to your door not only includes a video for me that shows you how to put it together
09:57But each video also gives you a new juicy nugget about the tools
10:01I use to build and code stuff so you can grow your creative engineering brain muscles one step at a time
10:07We put up the lid sticker instruction video for this first box plus a 20 minute Arduino crash course on the crunch labs YouTube channel
10:14So you can see for yourself that we're not cutting any corners. Just like with my YouTube videos
10:18I love taking complicated things and making them simple, and that's what we've done here
10:22So if you've always wanted to learn to code this is for you
10:25But if you're a master coder and builder this is also for you because this is a community
10:30So I'll absolutely be looking for the most impressively ridiculous hacks and modifications
10:35And then we'll be sure all the other subscribers see them so they can be inspired to make their own hacks and hack pack is a
10:41Great activity to do with friends and family or even just by yourself if you've always wanted to make and build cool stuff
10:47But just haven't figured out that first step on top of all that a couple times a year
10:51I'll randomly be selecting one box in which I'll place the platinum diploma if your box has it
10:58Congratulations because college is now free for you or a loved one you want to transfer it to plus you get to come out
11:04To crunch labs and brainstorm some of your own ideas with me and my team for a day
11:08So if you want to embark on this journey of discovery with me
11:11Just go to crunchlabs.com use the link in the video description
11:13We're to say thank you or give it away one free box as an early subscriber
11:18Special we poured our hearts into these for over two years
11:21And I am so confident your brain is going to love them, but supplies are definitely limited on this first run
11:27So if you don't want to miss out be sure to go check out that link in the video description and with that
11:32Let's get to the competition gentlemen. What's the confidence level at here?
11:36Can I have a shovel? That's the sound of an engineer who has not got a lot of sleep this week
11:40I'm excited to face off my turret versus your turret your turret actually shoots things. How do you know what mine is?
11:45It's right there. Oh, oh that thing
11:50It's controllable with a hack pack turret remote
11:54Move it that way
11:56Lucky for the boys the turret got distracted as the first drone took to the sky
12:00Pausing at a height where only a mega turret could possibly bring it down
12:04I could absolutely hit that with a rock. And while that might be true for the average person
12:10None of us are exactly first to be picked in gym class type material
12:14At any rate it was time to see what this bad boy could do. Let me line it up. Hold on
12:20Oh, yeah, that's looking good
12:22three two one
12:24Oh
12:28That was pretty cool, but you missed
12:39This is the one I can feel it three two
12:54The drone recovered from that?
12:56That was so cool
12:58That drone is so much more impressive than the turret
13:00But lucky for me the definitely not made up on the spot rules state that if a dart makes contact with the drone you get
13:06one final bonus shot
13:14The mega turret had secured a mega hit
13:18Check it out you actually did
13:20Yeah! What's up man?
13:23Let's see you guys beat this
13:26Question is which one of you guys wants to try and top that?
13:29Me!
13:31First up we've got Kevin
13:34Where's Kevin? He's uh
13:36Oh! Yeehaw!
13:38Woohoo! Yeehaw!
13:40Kevin! Yeah! Yeah!
13:42Coming for your drones!
13:44This feels like it's bigger than
13:46Whoa!
13:47Necessary. This is the VRAD cannon avian defense turret
13:53Avian defense?
13:55So what you scare birds with that?
13:57Yeah and shoot down drones
13:59And this concept was actually invented 200 years ago
14:01By farmers shooting it at hail clouds in the sky
14:03To try and save their crops
14:05But then they found a far less speculative application
14:07Was just to shoot it towards birds
14:09To scare them away from eating all the seeds in the field
14:12You're gonna look so silly if the drone doesn't get shot down with this thing Kevin
14:16Giddy up!
14:18And when you mix just the right amount of oxygen and propane
14:20In a combustion chamber and then give it a spark
14:22You basically get a single shot rocket engine
14:253, 2, 1
14:27Fire!
14:31Fire!
14:33Wow Kevin, real impressive
14:35Oh!
14:41And it absolutely destroyed the drone
14:44Oh my god! It like actually totally died
14:47Wow
14:49That was like a really good way to kill a drone actually
14:51That was really good
14:53And that's when we realized it was also a great way to play a certain game
14:57Called Chicken
14:59And if you think for a second we were scared to stand before this gigantic cannon
15:03Why are we doing this?
15:05I mean you're right, but what's even more scary
15:07Oh!
15:09Oh my god!
15:11It's like a jet flying overhead
15:13Was doing it over and over again
15:15Until it found its aim
15:17Oh!
15:19It's coming up towards us
15:21Oh my god!
15:23I hope it blows your hat off and we can see what you're hiding under there
15:25Oh!
15:33Oh! It got my head!
15:37Oh!
15:43Oh!
15:45It's still going!
15:49Oh my god!
15:51And in our game of chicken
15:53We were definitely prepared to get much closer to the cannon like these guys
15:57But we ran out of jet fuel
15:59So sadly we had to move on
16:01This is my invention
16:03This is a Tesla coil
16:05You know when you rub your feet on a carpet and you get a spark
16:07Yeah I know
16:09This is like a billion times more powerful than that
16:113, 2, 1
16:13Oh!
16:17And if it was a contest for coolest visuals
16:19I think that's pretty cool right?
16:21Alan definitely would have won right on the spot
16:23But it wasn't
16:25I feel like that's not going to get a drone
16:27Alright here's my real plan
16:29Salty electrically conductive goo
16:31Is that legal?
16:33What in the world is this?
16:35So this is xanthan gum and salt
16:37It should conduct electricity
16:39That nozzle is going to shoot a stream of goo
16:41So when it touches the drone
16:43It's going to fry it
16:45Well it's just salty protein
16:47And it's thick
16:49It's safe to say I had reservations about pretty much all of this
16:51Tesla coil on!
16:53As predicted the coil on it's own
16:55Had nowhere near the range to hit the drone
16:57Goo stream on!
16:59Oh!
17:01Wow why is it so low?
17:03That's no good
17:05And it seemed like the goo wouldn't either
17:07But after a little pressure adjustment
17:09There we go!
17:11The electric goo gun made contact
17:13Oh come on!
17:15Yes!
17:17And it appeared like
17:19Alan had taken it out for good
17:21Woah!
17:23It felt like trying to be alive
17:25There was no way to salvage things here
17:27So sadly
17:29Use your heel Mark
17:31This feels wrong
17:33We had to put the little guy out of his misery
17:35No Mark!
17:37You hit it again!
17:39I'm so sorry!
17:41Goodbye little fella
17:43Oh no!
17:45I said goodbye
17:47May your microchips
17:49Forever rest in the watery depths below
17:51And that's how you kill a drone
17:53The light's still on
17:55Oh no!
17:57Alright Will I think it's your turn
17:59It's this
18:01We're all in a fog machine
18:03And special effects?
18:05I didn't know you could order a fog!
18:07But out of the fog, William's creation
18:09Gloriously emerged
18:11Sort of
18:13I want you to hold on to that
18:15And this was the point where I realized Will's drone
18:17Had taken a sudden interest in what I was holding
18:19It's looking at you Mark!
18:21It's looking at you!
18:23Run away Mark!
18:25And it was totally tracking me
18:27Until it wasn't
18:29I did finish it just 30 minutes ago
18:31Will had very ambitiously taken the andro approach
18:33To actively track the target drone
18:35Ultimately his hunting drone was using
18:37Eight overlapping photo detectors
18:39To look for a specific IR source
18:41On the target drone I was holding
18:43And then it would keep itself oriented in the direction
18:45Where that signal was the strongest
18:47You have to attach this thing to the target drone
18:49For your drone to know where it is
18:51Uh yeah
18:53I mean how's it gonna take it down?
18:55By smashing into it
18:57Let's do it
18:59And this is where Will brought in his secret weapon
19:01The electric pole
19:03But to be fair all Peter was actually doing
19:05Was hitting the gas pedal on the drone at the right time
19:07All the other choices were being made autonomously
19:09By the drone itself
19:11Okay I'm taking off and then we're going autonomous
19:13Alright so it's hunting!
19:15It's hunting the drone!
19:17Run!
19:19Oh it missed!
19:21It's coming back!
19:23Go!
19:25It's like Toro! Toro!
19:27Oh!
19:29Oh!
19:31That looked pretty good
19:33But after a series of near misses
19:35Ah yes!
19:37The hunter got serious
19:39Oh!
19:41Smashing into the drone
19:43For the final kill of the night
19:45And taking a much deserved victory lap
19:47Yeah!
19:49Round of applause
19:51That's cool
19:53Time to announce the winner of the drone defense derby
19:55I get to decide
19:57Since this is my channel
19:59And honestly I gotta give this one to William
20:01As much as I
20:03Deserve this
20:05From an engineering standpoint
20:07It's very very impressive
20:09And your prize
20:11You get three hack packs
20:13Woah!
20:15Now you guys can you know
20:17Hone those engineering skills in
20:19And so if you too want to hone your own engineering skills
20:21Or heck even just begin to learn some
20:23Basic building skills in the easiest way possible
20:25While having a ton of fun at the same time
20:27Be sure to check out that link in the video description
20:29To crunchlabs.com
20:31To get your free hack pack box
20:33As the early adopter special