Gizmodo

Posts Tagged “

Britain

border patrol bot

Anti-Immigration Robot Secures Britain's Borders

Much like the United States, Britain has a bit of an illegal immigration problem. Tens of thousands risk their lives to cross into Britain each year by clinging underneath trucks transported on ferries. To combat this problem, BAE systems has provided the border agency with a robot dubbed "Hero" that is capable of ferreting out these stowaways using a combination of cameras and sensors. The device can check underneath vehicles and even detect heartbeats when fitted with the proper equipment. It can also be used to identify chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials being smuggled into the country. More »

criminal mastermind

Unlucky Thief Busted For The Third Time in Four Months For Stealing Police Sat Navs

In appears that 21 year old James Milsom is in the running for both the dumbest and unluckiest criminial in the UK after being busted for the third time in four months for stealing sat navs from undercover police cars. As you can see, the CCTV system in the vehicle did a pretty good job of capturing the subject—so he is off to another 14 weeks in the slammer. When he gets out, maybe he could team up with the criminals in the video after the break and form a kind of anti-Justice league for morons. More »

Green Dancing

British Club4Climate Nightclub Charges Itself With the Power of Dance

As the clubbers in Britain's first-ever eco-nightclub rave their little hearts out in the coming months, they'll be doing their part to conserve energy. Well, their feet will be, because the energy that powers 60% of the club is going to be generated by the springy dance floor beneath them. The springs in the floor are connected to power generating blocks made of piezoelectric crystals. It's similar to what Enviu, a Netherlands-based research group, proposed for Holland-based clubs, but with a different accent. Like that system, the British club's crystals produce current when subjected to pressure created by the gyrating bodies above. But millionaire founder Andrew Charalambous didn't stop with spring-filled floors—he's taking the entire green thing very seriously. More »

cctv britain

Crossing Guards Become Big Brothers

If you wanted a sure sign that the Orwell-ization of Great Britain is underway, then look no further than this. Lollipop ladies, those kindly old women who man the main roads next to school, similar to the US crossing guard, have been issued with video cameras to record lollipop rage—as school-side road rage is known. More »

waterproofed gadgets

Ion-Mask, a Waterproof Coating for Gadgets

Scientists in Britain have come up with a solution for making electronic gadgets completely waterproof, using a type of coating that repels liquids. The technology has, up until now, been used for military gear, but the makers of Ion-Mask are already in discussion with three cellphone manufacturers with a view to using the coating on their products. Full story below. More »

green

Britain to Abolish Gas and Diesel Cars by 2040, Captain Planet Rejoices

In an effort to stop the Earth from becoming a barren wasteland, British Liberal Democrats announced plans to completely abolish gasoline- and diesel-powered cars by 2040. To aid them in their quest, the politicians proposed increasing Britain's car tax by £2000 (or roughly $4000) specifically for larger vehicles like 4x4s, while lower-emission vehicles would be taxed less or nothing at all. More »

oh, the horror

Old PS3 Online Banner Ad Now Banned in the UK for Glamorizing Violence


While this clip isn't the ad at issue, it's from the same series of "This Is Living" spots you might remember Sony put out months ago. The banned banner features Kovac (the guy in the tub) simply holding a knife and gun below the lines, "You on my side? Listen up, I've killed for less. The music plays Puccini in my head." More »

astute

Astute Submarine Looks like a Whale, Never Needs Refuelling

This is the British Royal Navy's newest class of submarine, the Astute. And this is what the nuclear-powered behemoth can do: generate its own air and water; sit in the English Channel and fire cruise missiles at North Africa; but perhaps the most extraordinary feature of the British-built sub is that it will never need to be refuelled throughout its 25-year lifespan, meaning it can sail round the world 40 times without surfacing—if your seamen don't need feeding, that is. More »

privacy

Britain Wants to Track Vehicles. It's For Your Own Good, We Swear!

The British Government is working on a plan to have cameras and tracking devices monitoring all cars at all times. It's in order to be able to properly charge people for congestion pricing plans, a system already in place in London and heading to Manhattan in the next year. More »

gadgets

Talking CCTV Scheme: Big Brother Says 'Stop Picking Your Nose Now, Robert'

In an attempt to make its people behave better on the streets, the British Government is to roll out a talking CCTV camera scheme. The (not-so-)good citizens of the northern town of Middlesbrough have already been subjected to the idea, which is to stick a loudhailer on top of various CCTV cameras and get control center staff to tick off unsavory members of society who are caught indulging in anti-social behavior. This can be anything from littering the streets, drunk and disorderly behavior, fighting and (probably) doing The Sex with that girl you picked up in your local "niterie" half an hour ago. More »