The year's most important innovations in security

Battelle's DroneDefender

Drone’t even think about it.

Insurgent groups increasingly use drones as scouts and tiny bombers, so Homeland Security has turned to the DroneDefender. With a trigger pull, the rifle-shaped antenna severs the command connection between robot and controller from up to 1,300 feet away. It can also disable satellite links, forcing targets to land. Any soldier can bust airborne enemies in less than a second. It’s already been spotted with troops in Iraq.