CyPhy Works Tethered Drone Provides Security for Boston Pops Fireworks

The PARC tethered drone system from MA-based CyPhy Works provided security for the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular this year.

The company’s Persistent Aerial Reconnaissance and Communications platform – PARC™ – uses CyPhy’s patented microfilament tethered system to provide secure communication and power.  The tether, which is “thin as a headphone cord,” anchors the drone in one location and provides power that gives it a potential flight endurance of hundreds of hours.

For the fireworks celebration, drones were positioned along the Esplanade to provide security.  This is not the first time that CyPhy Works has provided PARC security for Boston events – the drones also covered this year’s Boston Marathon and Boston Sails.

CyPhy Works founder and CTO Helen Greiner says that the tether makes perfect sense for security applications  – or for commercial use. “It’s a surprisingly efficient and effective solution for keeping a drone in one place,” says Greiner. “We see growth in traffic management, oil and gas, asset management, hazardous incident response… anywhere you might need an eye in the sky.”

The PARC’s high powered optical can zoom in on ground level details like car makes and models, while remaining unobtrusive to the crowds below.

Drones have become a critical tool for managing crowds at large events.  The aerial view provided allows event security teams unique situational awareness which allows them to pinpoint ground efforts.  Security teams are able to identify not only potential crowd control issues but to monitor and anticipate traffic flow issues and other problems.