Vehicle disablement and retrieval
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsGuillaume Hoareau, Johannes J. Liebenberg, John G. Musial, Todd R. Whitman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aspect includes an agent carrier and an agent disposed in an inner cavity of the agent carrier. The agent includes an expandable foaming material and electromechanical signal blocking particles embedded in the expandable foaming material. An aspect further includes a sensor and agent release mechanism configured to release the agent from the agent carrier based at least in part on a determination, via the sensor, that the agent carrier is within a predetermined distance via the sensor from a vehicle.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- an agent carrier;
- an agent disposed in an inner cavity of the agent carrier, the agent comprising an expandable foaming material and electromechanical signal blocking particles embedded in the expandable foaming material;
- and
- a sensor and agent release mechanism configured to release the agent from the agent carrier based at least in part on a determination, via the sensor, that the agent carrier is within a predetermined distance from a vehicle.
A method, comprising:
- positioning an agent deployment device in proximity of a vehicle;
- loading an agent carrier into an agent carrier holding chamber of the agent deployment device;
- disposing a first end of a tethering line into the agent carrier;
- affixing a second end of the tethering line to the agent deployment device;
- launching the agent carrier from the agent deployment device, the agent carrier releasing an agent to encapsulate the vehicle,
- wherein the agent includes an expandable foaming material that cures and solidifies to form a plastic around the vehicle, and the first end of the tethering line is secured to the vehicle via the solidified expandable foaming material;
- and
- retrieving the vehicle via the tethering line.
A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the program instructions executable by a computer processor to cause the computer processor to perform a method, comprising:
- storing, in a memory that is communicatively coupled to the computer processor, a data value indicating a maximum distance in which an agent carrier is capable of being deployed from an agent deployment device, the agent deployment device communicatively coupled to a laser rangefinder via the computer processor;
- activating the laser rangefinder device, the laser rangefinder device calculating a distance between the agent deployment device and the vehicle;
- receiving a data value indicating the distance;
- and
- permitting deployment of the agent carrier from the agent deployment device when the data value indicating the distance is less or equal to the data value stored in the memory;
- wherein the agent includes an expandable foaming material and electromechanical signal blocking particles, the expandable foaming material is configured to cure and solidify to form a plastic around the vehicle, and the electromechanical signal blocking particles are configured to block communications between the vehicle and a remote operator of the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.