10.6092/issn.2038-3460/17342
application/pdf
2038-3460
17342
1
en
Chris Csikszentmihályi
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/
Tecnoscienza – Italian Journal of Science & Technology Studies
Freedom Flies (Cover’s Comment)
Text.Serial.Journal
https://tecnoscienza.unibo.it/
8
Editorial
2017-07-20
2023-06-22
2017-07-20
2023-08-21
TS
Chris Csikszentmihályi
2017/07/20
10.6092/issn.2038-3460/17342
2038-3460
1
en
Freedom Flies (Cover’s Comment)
https://tecnoscienza.unibo.it/article/download/17342/16191
8
                                                            Cover’s comment

Freedom Flies (2005) by Chris Csikszentmihályi

           Freedom Flies is a peaceful Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). While
nearly all UAVs are developed and marketed for military applications, Freedom
Flies is aimed at offering basic UAV technology to the independent media,
journalism and human rights NGO communities. Typical UAVs cost on the order
of $500,000 per system. In contrast, Freedom Flies is targeted at a few thousand,
but more importantly it is open source. Hardware, software, and fabrication
techniques are easily reproduced.
           The unit itself is built from commonly available parts (a weed-eater
engine, bicycle rim, water bottle, and kite-surfing kite), glides to the ground via a
parachute in case of system failure, and travels quite slowly (30mph). It can carry
over 15 lbs, allowing it to lift video, GPS units, pamphlets, water, food and other
payloads.
           Freedom Flies has been conceived as a reaction to the disturbing
technological trend of using UAVs for “border security.” It aims at helping
migrants survive and monitors their encounters with militias and “border
extremists”, thus counteracting selective law enforcements that focus on
immigrants but not on illegal proto-fascist activities.
           Test flights have been conducted on the US/Mexico border, where
since 2003 UAV technology has been used for “border security” by both the U.S.
government (with its Predators) and private militia groups, such as the American
Border Patrol (with its Border Hawk drones). Freedom Flies has been designed
according to a countervailing set of priorities: to help migrants survive the desert
and to look for evidence of anti-immigrant groups that are known to promulgate
unlawful violence against political and economic refugees. The use of commonly
available parts for its construction underlines its different sociotechnical identity:
it is a drone devoid of military DNA.

          http://www.m-iti.org/people/csik

          https://github.com/jlev/freedomfliesonline
