Talking drone tries to lure children away from playground

A talking drone has tried repeatedly to lure children away from an Ohio elementary school playground. 

Staff at the Winderemere Community Learning Center in Akron say the device has flown over students’ as they played three to four times. 

Each time, the children said a voice resounded from it. On at least one occasion, it told them to leave the playground. 

Thankfully, none took the bait and instead reported the sighting to school staff who say they are now on high alert. 

The drone has only been sighted at night and on the weekends when school is not in session. 

 

The drone has flown over the playground at Windermere Community Learning Center, an elementary school in Akron, Ohio, (above), three or four times 

Children are still allowed to use the playground despite there being no teachers around to supervise them. 

Staff however say they are fearful it will return during school hours. 

Principal Megan Lee-Wilfong said she felt ‘absolute panic’ when she learned it had been seen. 

Students said the device spoke to them and tried to lure them off grounds (file image)

‘Even though I’m not here at evenings and on weekends, they’re still my students,’ she told Fox 8 Cleveland. 

‘We’re used to watching our kids. We’re not used to watching the skies. 

‘It’s alarming that that is how we’re going to have to retrain and now consider. Look up when you’re outside with kids,’ she added.  

Parents are equally concerned about the device. 

‘That’s creepy. It’s scary, you know. I have a daughter… and having some weirdo flying something around?’ Hannah Adkins said. 

Talking drones are somewhat of a new development in air technology. 

The elementary school allows children to play in its playground on weekends and evenings when no staff are there. That is when the drone has happeared 

Principal Megan Lee-Wilfong said she must adapt teacher training methods to take the drones into account 

Some prototypes have been developed to allow the devices to communicate with birds by playing a pre-recorded bird sound that they will recognize. 

Others are being developed to allow the devices to communicate with air traffic control.

But a standard, consumer device which allows its operator to have a real-time conversation with another via the drone, as if it were a flying telephone, does not appear to be publicly available.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk