Review of Intentional Electromagnetic Interference on UAV Sensor Modules and Experimental Study

With the advancement of technology, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are being used in numerous applications. However, the illegal use of UAVs, such as in terrorism and spycams, has also increased, which has led to active research on anti-drone methods. Various anti-drone methods have been proposed over time; however, the most representative method is to apply intentional electromagnetic interference to drones, especially to their sensor modules. In this paper, we review various studies on the effect of intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI) on the sensor modules. Various studies on IEMI sources are reviewed and classified on the basis of the power level, information needed, and frequency. To demonstrate the application of drone-sensor modules, major sensor modules used in drones are briefly introduced, and the setup and results of the IEMI experiment performed on them are described. Finally, we discuss the effectiveness and limitations of the proposed methods and present perspectives for further research necessary for the actual application of anti-drone technology.