It was inevitable. Drones are in ever-wider use by the military, and some day they might deliver you food, but it looks like they'll also be the private, flying-camera spies for private companies too. That's what Japanese security company Secom is banking on with its new private security quadrotor.


Billed as the first security drone intended for private security firms, Secom's upcoming drone is a customized Ascending Technologies quadrotor outfitted to spot and follow ne'er-do-wells like nosy, mobile security cameras. The drones will have the ability to track suspects with lasers, and know better than to rush into melee range. They won't be making their actual debut until 2014, at which point they can be rented for ¥5,000 ($58) per month.


Better get your counter-drone army together, because it looks like the future will be full of these suckers, from those owned by the government, to loss-prevention models owned by the local Walmart. The future is cloudy; the sky's full of drones. [PhysOrg via Engadget]