Tokyo police are hoping to snare rogue drones with a net carried by its own unmanned aerial vehicle.
The police drone will enter service sometime this month, according to Asahi Shimbun and the Kyodo news service. Its purpose will be to stop suspicious-looking drones that fly into restricted airspace near government buildings.
Another Japanese news service, Jiji Press, released video of the drone in a test run.
The new line of defense comes after a drone with minute traces of radiation landed on the roof of the prime minister's office in April.
"Terrorist attacks using drones carrying explosives are a possibility," a senior officer in Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department told Asahi Shimbun.
The drone will carry a net that measures nearly 10 feet long and more than 6.5 feet wide. Not only will it allow police to stop drones from entering restricted airspace, it will also prevent the offending drone from falling down onto the street below, where it could damage a vehicle or injure a pedestrian.
There are a few other anti-drone devices out there, like the DroneDefender, which uses targeted radio waves to bring down UAVs, and detection technology from DroneShield.
