How researchers are using a drone to discover connected devices in Austin

Given the explosion of connected devices, also known as the Internet-of-things, it's natural that people would want to know just how many such devices are out there. But how do you go about figuring out just how many of these devices--like thermometers or light bulbs hooked to the Internet--are being used in a given city? The answer is apparently to enlist the services of a drone that can fly above the city proper and gather tons of data pertaining to the connected gadgets and appliances. A team of researchers at security company Praetorian wanted to discover how many IOT-friendly devices were being used in Austin, TX, and found that the best way to do so would be to outfit a drone with the company's custom built connected-device tracking appliance and have it fly over the city, Praetorian vice president of marketing Paul Jauregui told Fortune. Full how-to build guide coming soon!