A Russian inventor has patented a method for identifying drones that makes it impossible to spoof or hack them. The development is based on memristors, special electronic components with "memory" whose electrical characteristics cannot be faked. According to a publication in the Rospatent database, the invention belongs to Sergei Tereshin.
Paired memristors with unique parameters are installed on the ground and on the drone. When launched, the ground station transmits a special code to the drone and simultaneously sends the same signal to its memristor. The onboard electronics pass the signal through its memristor and sends the result back. If the parameters match, the drone is friendly. If not, someone is trying to spoof or hack it.
The main advantage is that the digital code can be intercepted, but it is impossible to fake the physical properties of the memristor. This makes the protection virtually invulnerable. The development is particularly relevant for military and security systems, where it is important to know exactly whether a drone is friendly or not.