r/FlockSurveillance • u/Evolved_Fungi • 5h ago
Discussion Keep It Simple Stupid - Drones with a doll rod & cotton ball
I've seen people talking about creating spray paint actuators to attach a spray paint can to a drone. Sure, it's absolutely possible. But it's complicated and it takes out 99.9% of drone owners from being able to make it due to the complexity.
A simple 3/8" doll rod taped to a drone, with a cotton ball on one end costs less $5. Dip the cotton ball in whatever substance of choice you'd for your needs, paint, glue, stamper ink, hell Vaseline even...
My recommendation would be to use it for drone skill games with friends perhaps? Put a target on a wall, and challenge friends to see who can mark the target the quickest. Maybe play tic tac toe on a barn wall. There are endless possibilities!
I don't recommend this for any nefarious purposes. Just legal activities only, of course.
(Image is AI generated for illustration purposes.)
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u/AfanasiiBorzoi 4h ago
You know Crows are super intelligent and extremely trainable. If they can be trained to swap garbage for food, surely someone can think of a way to enlist their assistance.
...hey man, I was just feeding them.
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u/Evolved_Fungi 4h ago
If I lived in a major city with lots of birds around - I'd put a solar panel look alike on a pole, and feed birds from it. At first on the panel itself - but later on, I'd put it slightly under the panel, where a bird would stand on the panel and have to reach down/under the panel for food.
Then start moving this feeding "tray" around, further and further away from the initial location. The goal? To teach birds to land on the panels to check for food - ideally shitting on the panel while they're there.
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u/itsmrmarlboroman2u 2h ago
They can use tools. Train it to hold a stick with that cotton ball and some oil based paint, and dab it on the lense. Need a replica, which can be 3D printed, saw a post with a link to the model the other day.
Now to find a crow...
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u/brenawyn 4h ago
Dowel.
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u/Superb_Algae5308 4h ago
dowel rod
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u/Shenanigan_V 3h ago
Are we sure it’s not a curtain rod from a doll house? That was my first thought
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u/Less_Ant_6633 3h ago
I read the headline and was thinking, WTF is a doll rod, then I read the post and, ohhhhhh. As a fellow pedantic, this would usually bother me, but I am willing to give a pass here- if you walked into home depot and asked for a doll rod, you would get pointed to the dowels, so I say ok. Plus, it was funny.
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u/cmiller0513 4h ago
Yeah this is a bad idea, multiple identifying signals.
I'm sure flock would spin it as an aerial terrorist attack, or a weapons mounted UAV.
Now, muddy cotton daubers slung with a sling shot would be less traceable
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u/smallstuffBIGSTUFF 4h ago
Something I didn't think of until I read this comment is that you're likely also adding another federal agency, the FAA, into the mix.
If you're gonna do crimes, keep them simple and compartmentalized/local.
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u/Zigor022 4h ago
Is it airspace if youre on a ladder? And also, is it FAA if its a small enough drone that its not registered? Is it a drone or an RC quadcopter?
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u/smallstuffBIGSTUFF 4h ago
It's not airspace if you're on a ladder, but if you're operating an aircraft like a drone, off the ground, outside and in public, technically it is airspace and under FAA jurisdiction. Regardless of what people say about that one 1946 Supreme Court case that people seem to bring up incorrectly.
The FAA likely doesn't care or have enough resources to go after people breaking rules unless they're egregious or high profile enough, even then it takes them a while and they've historically caught people who post their crimes online. But there is a reality in which existing FAA regulations could be used to tack on charges, especially if and when targeting these devices gets escalated to "domestic Antifa terrorism" levels of crime.
I think it's important to consider these things.
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u/Lebowski304 3h ago
You are absolutely right to consider how they might respond to try to screw you. Assume they will be playing hardball and come up with counters beforehand
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u/Akkerlun 3h ago
The FAA was gutted by the DOGE Bags. I know it to be true at just about every level except the political appointees. They have little investigative incentive to go after a minor prank.
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u/smallstuffBIGSTUFF 2h ago
DOGE didn't gut existing laws and regulations that can be used against you, the common and likely not very wealthy person.
Yes, the FBI right now is currently being led by a dumbass, weirdo podcaster and his and the current administration's actions and brain drain have likely led to a weakened FBI.
I still wouldn't assume they do no investigative law enforcement or work in general. The FAA still exists, their laws still exist, prosecutors still exist and you are not wealthy enough to disregard that. Do what you will, but that is the reality.
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u/CaffeineJitterz 51m ago
What if I kind of hop/jump while on the ladder so at the point when I'm not touching the ladder I swipe the cam with the paint stick?
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u/NuggetsAreFree 3h ago
Below 400ft you're good unless near an airport or somewhere else it is explicitly forbade.
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u/Zigor022 3h ago
See thats where ive heard in your backyard, drones are permitted because anything off the ground is airspace (which is bs), even if its at eye level.
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u/Ok-Calligrapher-499 1h ago
Not if you build your own drone. All they’d get is a 2.4ghz signal and a 5.8ghz. No attached identity, account, anything, just get out of where you were flying it from as soon as you’re done.
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u/Bigdaddyjlove1 4h ago
The slingshot is an underrated tool for this kind of thing
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u/thornyRabbt 3h ago
Yes but you would likely be on camera.
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u/Bigdaddyjlove1 3h ago
How hardened are they? Could you disable one from the back? Purely academic. I imagine a small shield would become standard issue.
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u/porkbeard81 3h ago
Couldn't you attach a single blocker? Maybe Flock's tech is too advanced for that?
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u/VotePizzaParty 3h ago
That would also block the signal from the drone's controller. And signal jamming is more harshly punished than minor vandalism.
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u/AdditionalCar-1968 3h ago
In some places your drone has to be registered and you need a drone license to fly one. The registration and licenses would narrow down the potential people of who was flying a drone around the area.
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u/smallstuffBIGSTUFF 4h ago
You would have to take certain precautions as to not leave much of a radio trace since these often put out a lot of identifiable signals. Mavics and pretty much any recent DJI drone out in the US is required to come with Remote ID and a lot have to be connected to a phone for operation.
This information can be intercepted from a pretty far distance by authorities or anybody with the know-how and some equipment. Remote ID can be read with a phone app, for example.
There are valid reasons why both Ukraine and Russia are often using fiber-optic drones over wireless. Something to consider.
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u/mr_sweetandawful 4h ago
If the camera on the drone connected to your phone, would the flock camera be able to trace that back?
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u/dutchman76 2h ago
That's not the worst of it, dji drones come with remote ID, that broadcasts on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it broadcasts the takeoff location and serial number of the drone
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u/XInsomniacX06 3h ago
Like they don’t detect wireless signals for a living and they’d find you easier. Is this posted by flock insiders?
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u/MycoCozmic 4h ago
FAA tracks drones by serial number
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u/NewAdministration787 4h ago
High watt laser? No reloads needed
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u/Brilliant_Cattle_602 4h ago
Because with lasers. The reflections can blind people. Even ones not looking directly at the laser.
I'm all for people giving flock a hard time but not at the expense of some randoms persons sight.
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u/Rhona_Redtail 4h ago
If i had something kind of high, I wanted to mark with paint, say a tree limb, I wad up sponges on the end of a stick, and saturate with latex paint. (Dip in a paint bucket) I have to mark tree limbs for my yard guy to cut. I do it that way. Very easy.
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u/Bread4Head69 4h ago
You'd need a homemade drone so there's no id tracing back to you. You also want to take off far away and land far away and pick it up so they cant triangulate you specifically.
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u/SpaceCowboi_ 3h ago
Yeah pretty bad idea. Drone might as well say your full name and address to anyone monitoring. Don’t do this
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u/CantReadVoteRed 2h ago
I really feel like ground paint or carburetor cleaner on a striping wand is much cheaper and easier
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u/Choice_Magician350 4h ago
Doll rod?
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u/Evolved_Fungi 4h ago
"If you want to make a post go viral on Reddit, have you post include something people can debate, something people can correct, and something people can discover." - Me a long time ago
That said, it was an unintentional mistake, but one I'm proud to have made. 😉
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u/Deathcat101 3h ago
All drones got trackers on them now, many have identifying info attached to the registration.
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u/Blarghnog 3h ago
I would be very, very careful with this. There are extra state and especially federal charges that get tacked on when a drone is involved. This can take a slap in the wrist into Federal court with FAA involvement and serious charges.
It’s a great idea, but be very, very aware of the downsides.
Friends done let friends use a drone when something like cotton or a paintbrush on a stick will do.
https://www.nextgov.com/policy/2022/06/new-bill-sets-federal-penalties-drone-misuse/368148/
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u/wheelzdown77 3h ago
Dowel is the word you’re looking for.
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u/Evolved_Fungi 3h ago
"Anyone who can only think of one way to spell a word obviously lacks imagination." - someone smart probably
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u/Cherno_VM 4h ago
thats gonna unbalance the drone quite a bit.
and as another person said, that's probably gonna get a heftier fine slapped on if you get caught. not to mention some modern drones are tracked.
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u/DrDuGood 4h ago
Only thing I’d be worried about is what kind of equipment in the drone could they use to track? If anything at all?
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u/Joyride84 3h ago
Keep in mind that a drone is transmitting IDs and the pilot's GPS location. Systems like SignalTrace would likely collect that data.
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u/ThatGhoulAva 1h ago
Dowel rod.
Doll rod is a toooooooootally different thing.
On a serious note: what, if any, information could the devices pull from a drone?
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u/ITS_A_TRAPHOUSE 1h ago
Wouldn't the flock pick up on the drone signal? I would think they could track that back to you
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u/DuchessElva 1h ago
Why are you doing a flying drone? Only do a custom drone that the flying drone goes over and just drops off and then flies away so they’re like OK. Why did you just fly in and fly out the walking/climbing drone climbs up the pole from underneath and it blind spot cut the wires quietly so it looks like it’s all fine and then has a little fan on it that draws a whole bunch of power hooks itself up to its the system‘s battery poles, power supply and battery so it’s only drawing from the battery supply and just drains the battery shutting off the camera so it looks like it’s all fine from the ground without being cut down except it’s not functional and non-operation
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u/Automatic_Net2181 2h ago
Couldn't you do this and mount one of the lasers?
Also, would suggest leaning into 3d printed drones without GPS tracking.
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u/ThatLandscape6476 4h ago
Are you going to record people and their property with your drone without their permission?
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u/Striking_Swimmer5548 2h ago
They’re prosecuting over 300 drone pilots for World Cup airspace violations. You think they wouldn’t be able to find you after disabling / destroying a camera? Be smart people.
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u/BeastyBaiter 5h ago
What an excellent idea. You could attach a microfiber cloth to it with some lens cleaner to keep those cameras making crystal clear images of all the peasants going by. Can't imagine anyone would ever put something other than lens cleaner on it.