9/11: Six Tech Advances to Prevent Future Attacks
RC airliners, "dazzlers" among proposed tech to tackle air-based terrorism.
As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, imagine a replay of the attack: Another band of terrorists armed with box cutters manages to sneak onto an airliner and attempts to seize it for a suicide mission. (Read "The Original Plans for 9/11.")
As the terrorists rush into the cockpit, sensors send out an alarm to antiterrorism officials on the ground. They remotely disable the cockpit controls, engage an uninterruptible autopilot system, and land the plane in a secure location, where Navy SEALs rush on board and capture or kill the terrorists.
It's not as far-fetched as you might think.
(See a time line of the events of 9/11.)
Airliner remote control is just one of the many technologies on the horizon
