Drones will act as potentially life-saving "first responders" at the World Cup, carrying equipment such as defibrillators, epipens and first aid kits to stand by at venues across the United States, Canada and Mexico as part of an effort to protect fans.
The drones can drop into specific locations inside stadiums and will also carry radios, allowing people near someone in distress to liaise directly with specially trained medics during an emergency.
Games being stopped mid-play because of medical emergencies in the crowd has become common in recent times, and organisers hope the drones will get help to fans as quickly as possible, with the added benefit of reducing disruption to matches.
Motorola Solutions, which is providing security for the tournament, will use "Guardian" drones capable of carrying a 10lb payload, letting them deliver vital supplies to hard-to-reach places.
Guardian drone equipment
The devices will carry first aid kits, defibrillators, epipens and radios so people close to someone in distress can contact emergency services.
Guarding stadium airspace
Motorola is also working with drone detection company SkySafe to try to stop unauthorised devices entering airspace around stadiums and training grounds, using technology that can jam the signal between an unwanted drone and its pilot to knock it out of the sky, a measure unlikely to be used when a crowd is present.
Other options include GPS "spoofing," which tricks a drone into calculating a wrong position and redirects it, and nets fired from "friendly" drones to incapacitate hostile fliers. All of these systems can be deployed in Kansas City, where England hope to hold training sessions away from prying eyes.
