ARM operates by directing sonic, ultrasonic, or subsonic waves at drones, creating destabilizing vibrations or disturbances in the boundary layer airflow. These effects can render a drone incapable of stable flight. Propeller blades are particularly susceptible, either by generating erratic turbulence or transferring vibrations to the onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU), triggering flight system failure.
Developed by FRACTAL CEO Nathan Cohen and a colleague, ARM is protected under U.S. patents and pending applications licensed exclusively to FRACTAL. With 94 U.S. patents to his name and a background spanning 55 years, Cohen brings expertise in both phased array technologies and ultrasound. Formerly a professor in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Boston University, Cohen anticipated the challenge posed by small quadcopter drones over a decade ago, inspiring the creation of ARM.
"The propellor blades become a driven oscillator from ARM, and even isolating the MEMS at the IMU from these oscillations is impractical, especially in smaller drones. The result is flight disruption," Cohen stated.
While FRACTAL has a long-standing leadership role in RF jamming and antenna technologies, U.S. regulations heavily restrict RF jamming outside military contexts. This has created a legal gap in civilian drone defense. "You can't legally shoot a drone or zap it with microwaves outside military settings. Lasers are costly and affected by humidity. ARM offers an effective alternative for government and enterprise security," Cohen explained.
Drawing on its deep experience with antennas and arrays, FRACTAL engineered ARM to function at ultrasonic frequencies that are inaudible to humans yet potent against drones. Cohen notes that the technology has already seen successful demonstrations abroad. "ARM has a patent priority of a decade, but ignoring that, foreign groups have claimed its creation and taken the technology successfully into the 'prove out' phase. We are, here in the US, beyond that stage; no surprise since we invented it."
He emphasized that FRACTAL's U.S. patents predate those overseas efforts, and foreign firms will not be granted licensing rights to deploy ARM in the American market.
Capable of countering drones from palm-sized craft to larger consumer models, ARM is lightweight, cost-effective, and easy to deploy, with a per-use cost measured in cents. "ARM is designed to disable drones. And drones only. This is not a system for crowd or animal control and we are not using inefficient, parametric arrays to achieve our spectrum," said Cohen.
The technology is also being adapted for battlefield use. FRACTAL is developing a version called DRONE BLASTR, a patent-pending system that can be mounted on attack drones or aerial assets to neutralize hostile drone swarms during combat operations.
With the escalating threat posed by drones in surveillance and smuggling, FRACTAL views ARM as a vital asset in protecting borders and critical areas. "ARM is a major facet of FRACTAL's journey into drone defense and counter defense. It is a perfect complement to the fractal-based antenna and metamaterial products we are rolling out in these markets in the coming weeks. Government, public safety agencies, and related enterprises should explore partnering with FRACTAL as ARM moves towards product stages," Cohen concluded.
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