Autonomous surveillance towers on the US-Mexico border can detect a human from 2.8km away – and now 189 more are coming. Are they deadly?
On a hot May afternoon in southern California, near the border with Mexico, white-and-green border vehicles patrol the two-lane highway, black helicopters glide across the sky – and their latest companions, autonomous surveillance towers built by the tech defence company Anduril, peek over the ridges.
One Anduril tower, perched on a hill, has a clear view over the rusty brown border wall and into the Mexican town of Tecate. From here, it can detect people who climb over the wall and walk across the rugged landscape on the US side. Approach the hill and the camera atop the tower swivels toward you.
