Japanese company to rent out multirotors for security.

Press

Japanese security company Secom has announced that they’ll be renting out camera-equipped drones capable detecting intruders, following them and taking their pictures. The drones, which are 24 inches wide and weigh only 3.5 pounds, can accomplish this task automatically or via a dispatcher.

The idea is to let managers of large buildings like factories monitor areas that aren’t covered well by conventional security cameras. And even in areas that are covered, a drone can get closer to the action and provide more details.

Each drone, the company says, is programmed to remain a constant distance from whatever it’s following, either a person or a car, for safety reasons. If communications with the drone are interrupted, it automatically lands in a safe place to avoid damaging itself.

The system might be a better sell in the United States rather than Japan, since crime of any sort in Japan — including break-ins — is relatively rare. Japanese companies can rent the drone as part of Secom’s online security system for around 5,000 yen ($58) a month some time after April 2014, though a company spokesperson said Secom wants to expand that to other countries eventually.