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# Drone-Docking Devices
DARPA's Project SideArm is a Portable Military Drone Launch and Capture Dock

By Joey Haar | Published 2017-02-08 | Tech
Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/project-sidearm
References: [theverge](http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/7/14533132/darpa-drone-crane-sidearm-project) & [darpa.mil](http://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2015-05-07)

Project SideArm is a system developed by [DARPA](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crane-program), the US' military research organization. With the country's [growing reliance on drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sonobuoy-dispensing-system) for conducting military operations, Project SideArm is a way to quickly get drones into and out of the air in potentially dangerous spaces, reducing the potential costs for the military as a whole.

Project SideArm is an adaptation of a system that has been used for decades on aircraft carriers. Anyone who's seen footage of a fighter jet landing on an aircraft carrier will recognize the system: the pilots guide their planes down toward the short runway, and a hook extending from the bottom of the plane catches a wire on the tarmac, thus slowing it to a stop. Project SideArm inverts that formula, with a [hook on top of drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vita-bladeless) catching on to a sliding crane and causing the drone to jerk upwards, damage-free, into a net.

## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter)

- Score: 1.2/10
- Popularity: 9% | Activity: 19% | Freshness: 8%
- Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women
- Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X
- Top markets: North America

## Categories

[Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech)

## Key Themes

### Why This Trend Is Growing

- **Drone-docking Devices:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop portable docking devices for commercial drones, enabling quick and safe deployment and retrieval in various industries.
- **Military Drone Launch and Capture Dock:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create advanced docking systems for military drones to enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs in defense applications.
- **Adaptation of Aircraft Carrier Systems:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Apply aircraft carrier-style technology to other industries, such as logistics or transportation, for efficient and controlled movement of unmanned vehicles.

### Industries Being Reshaped

- **Military:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate drone docking systems into military infrastructure to enhance mission capabilities and ensure swift deployment and retrieval of drones.
- **Commercial Drone:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop docking solutions for commercial drones to facilitate automated deliveries and efficient operations in industries like e-commerce and logistics.
- **Defense Technology:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Expand on DARPA's Project SideArm to create advanced drone docking systems for defense applications like surveillance, reconnaissance, and autonomous missions.

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