The drone intruder was roaming around the Rose Bowl as 94,000 fans cheered, oblivious to the threat. But scientists testing a new security device at the game detected its radio signals and seized control.
This was only a simulation, but if the unmanned drone had been a security risk they could have forced it down — even though the airwaves were choked by thousands of smartphones and Wi-Fi hot spots.
"It's like being at a rock concert and trying to listen to someone at the other end of the stadium," said Randy Villahermosa, principal director of the research and program development office of Aerospace Corp., which made the detection device. "It certainly did look feasible to us."