UAH engineering students who are employees of the Systems Management and Production Center fly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being developed as security tools in conjunction with the UAH Police Department. (UAH photo)
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The University of Alabama in Huntsville today unveiled new drone-like technology designed to enhance campus safety that someday may be available to help protect K-12 school systems.
At a news conference today, the school showed off a variety of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that will provide an "eye in the sky" for campus police, according to Gary Maddux, who is leading the research as director of the Systems Management and Production Center (SMAP).
Maddux said the shooting at a Connecticut elementary school in December pushed the languishing research into overdrive. Six months later, Maddux said the University of Alabama police department is scheduled to visit UAH next week to get a first-hand view of the UAV technology.
"We just want to be able to make a difference and we want to make a difference quickly and come up with something to help law enforcement," Maddux said. "That's what it's all about - improving response times so maybe we could mitigate the next tragedy that could occur."
The advantages of the UAVs are to offer a new tool to campus police to investigate criminal activity as well as in emergency situations.
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