Austin Police Ban Chaotic Moon Studios’ Drone From Flying at SXSW

No drones can fly the skies at South by Southwest Interactive this year.

“SXSW has a strict no drones policy due to the safety risks drones present to the public,” according to a blog post on the official SXSW website.

The Austin Police Department ban the use of drones with the city limits for public safety reasons.

Last year, Chaotic Moon Studios made headlines at SXSW with its “Taser Drone” that shocked an intern with 80,000 volts of electricity. He was not injured in the stunt.

This year, Chaotic Moon planned to fly its newest drone, Tyrone, during the SXSW festival. The drone “can tag a wall with spray paint, accost onlookers with silly string or deter attackers with a three foot flame,” according to a news release. It was going to debut at the show.

“Drone Tyrone is about pushing the utility aspects of drone and beacon technology,” Chaotic Moon Studios’ Ben Lamm said in a news release. “We wanted to prove that you can use these vehicles for more than just aerial photography. For Chaotic Moon Studios, it’s always about pushing technological boundaries. We got a lot of flak last year for the taser drone, but we did that to start a real dialogue about citizen drone surveillance and submission. The technology was outpacing the legislation, and that event was a huge catalyst for public awareness and education.”

Chaotic Moon has several other projects its showcasing at SXSW. It is launching “FitCoin, a fitness band crossed with BitCoin that actually pays you to work out. They are also revolutionizing indoor lighting with their LED and fiber optic system called Solaura, and they are partnering with global architecture firm, Gensler, on a 30-ft tall interactive pneumatic tree called ORCHARD.”

“We’ve got a ton of awesome stuff going on at South by Southwest,” said Lamm. “We’ll figure out how to debut TYRONE, one way or another. We didn’t get where we are by asking for permission.”