3D Robotics

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From DroneJournalism.org:

Two Canadians, a film maker and an emergency room physician, have been held in an prison for almost three weeks now for possessing what the Egyptian government calls "surveillance drones."

The two men, John Greyson and Tarek Loubani, have been on a hunger strike to protest brutal conditions at the prison, according to The Toronto Star.

Greyson, who teaches film theory at York University, and Loubani, who practices emergency medicine in London, Ont., were arrested after Egyptian police found two small quadcopter drones in their hotel room.

The men claim that the drones are used for the quick transport of medical supplies. According to one of Loubani's colleagues interviewed by The Star, the small aircraft would be programmed by hospitals to deliver small amounts of urgently-needed medicine.

Loubani reportedly demonstrated this technology at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, and at London’s Fanshawe College.

This detention shows that while drones can put photographers, journalists, and others out of harm's way, there are still risks for those who might wish to use the technology.

Ian Hannah, a Canadian drone pilot and photographer who operates the aerial photography service Avrobotics, wrote in an email that "it shows the danger that may exist even being caught with a drone in certain countries."

"The authorities perceive them as some kind of threat," wrote Hannah, a DroneJournalism.org member. "It's an important lesson for anyone going to these types of locations that there is clearly a great suspicion of this technology."

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Comments

  • It looks like they were accused of participating in illegal protests and for resisting authorities during arrest rather than for possessing drones.

    Hope they learned something.

  • Check out my blog they finally returned home! http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/canadians-held-in-egypt-headed-...

  • Totally agree Oliver, dropping off urgent medical supplies with a drone, utter BS. I wonder what kind of civilian drones the company uses these days. 

  • Brings to mind the two guys and girl caught, by Iran, hiking the border between Iraq and Iran during the Iraq war.

  • I think they should make their next stop in north korea just to see what happens.

  • Ric, CBC this morning was talking like it could be months yet.  I also saw a number of commentators on CBC's website suggesting that these guys are not as innocent as the MSM is suggesting.  Apparently there is some history...

    I don't think we're getting the full story from the MSM.

  • The BS detector here is ringing off the hook. "Let's go to one of the most unstable, volatile places on the planet and play with our toys that closely resemble (or even emulate) military/espionage devices." A supposed professor and ER doctor are that naive and/or stupid? Well, if so don't break a leg in London, Ontario and I imagine the prof's "film theory" might involve glass plates and hand cranks...   

  • Did they have permission to bring the drones into Egypt? A lot of countries have strict policies regarding electronic equipment. It is good policy (and common sense) to be upfront and get proper documentation for it before traveling to these regions. Especially in areas lacking stability.

  • Moderator
    UPDATE: John Greyson and Tarek Loubani, still have not been allowed to leave. Their lawyer hopes they will be released by Thursday.
  • This year I was traveling in Egypt with a hexacopter drone without any trouble, but I was taking care all the time.
    They are more "political prisoners" than "technological prisioners". The Egyptian autorities don't like civilians helping people in Gaza strip when they close the borders.

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