Gizmodo: Spycam

DelFly Micro Dragonfly Is Smallest Creepy Autonomous Spybot Yet

John Mahoney — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:20:12 EDT

We told you the tiny DelFly II robotic dragonfly spy cam was just the beginning, and we were right. The same Dutch roboticist is now unveiling the DelFly Micro—with a wingspan of just 10cm and a weight of 3.07 grams, it's the first to be smaller than an actual real-life dragonfly. Granted, the dragonfly being used for comparison is Borneo's Tetracanthagyna plagiata, which has a frankly horrifying 20cm wingspan—the largest in the world, no less. But still, now you're even less likely to realize those annoying bugs whizzing around during your protest march are actually just autonomous insectoid ornithopters keeping an eye on you—nothing to worry about. See it take to the air, complete with live eye-in-the-sky video feed, below.

[DelFly via IEEE Spectrum Blog] Thanks, Erico!

Cappuccino Cam Lets You Obsessively Eyeball Baristas' Every Move

matt buchanan — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:20:13 EST

I try to stick with coffee joints I know and trust, so I don't really have to worry about what's going on behind the bar (I hope), but the gawker in me still likes the idea of a camera trained on the barista's hands, brashly laying bare their every move for scrutiny. (And it's not like I have anything else to do while I wait.) This setup is at an Amanti stand at the Melbourne airport, and now I'm very sad that my coffee machine is busted. [BoingBoing]

Pacific Defence Pen Doubles As James Bond Bluetooth Camcorder

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:39:24 EST

This working pen is ridiculously awesome, if you believe the uncorroborated early reports:
• At under 6 inches long and just a half inch thick, it records 320x240 video at 30fps, even in low light.
• You can set it to start recording video when it detects motion, or recording audio when it hears a sound.
• It takes MicroSD flash cards, and can transfer video wirelessly via Bluetooth.
• You can program it to send an alarm wirelessly to a "remote location."
Gizmag warns "some specs may be altered before final release"—I'm more concerned that there's no mention of it on Pacific Defence's website. [Gizmag]

DelFly II, Just the First of a Long Line of Tiny Flying Robot Spycams

Charlie White — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:11:23 EDT

This is not just some radio-controlled insect-like aircraft, no sirree. This is the DelFly II, a robotic dragonfly spy, developed by robot jockeys at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. While government agencies are not admitting to using such things, you can see how this hovering electro-insect with a camera on board might come in handy for some serious snooping. The current model weighs just 16.04 grams, can fly for 15 minutes at 30mph or can hover for eight minutes, and has vision-based stabilization for its onboard camera. Check out another video of the DelFly II in flight, after the jump.

Imagine this technology miniaturized even further; its makers are now developing the DelFly Nano with a wingspan of just two inches. Hey, that's nearly invisible. Evildoers who hate America will think it's just a large insect spying into their bedroom windows. [BotJunkies and Danger Room, via bb Gadgets]

Shower Mirror Doubles as Hidden Camera

Louis Ramirez — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 17:30:33 EST

We've seen spy cams hit a 9 on the perve-o-meter before, but this one here is close to pushing a 10. The Shower Mirror Security Camera has a built-in FM radio that lets your unassuming suspect listen to their favorite tunes as they shower, but what they don't know is that on the other end you'll be secretly watching them thanks to the Mirror's accompanying USB receiver which plugs into your PC and lets you wirelessly watch and record all the action (you know, for security purposes). It's not as advanced as the spycam alarm clock, but for straight out perving, it goes straight to the point. It's selling for $279 bucks.

Shower Mirror Security Camera [via The Red Ferret Journal]

USB Qcam with NightVision

Charlie White — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 10:06:41 EDT

Far be it from us to tell you what to do with this 1.3-megapixel infrared USB Qcam with NightVision and 1280x1024 resolution. It includes a microphone to pick up the sounds of those things that go bump in the night. There are three white LEDs underneath that add just a bit of light, and two infrared LEDs that enable the webcam's nightvision capabilities.

By showing you this device, were actually doing you a service—we're thinking it's probably not clearly marked "Nightvision Spycam," so if you see one somewhere and then you end up staying there after dark, be aware of that unseen eye that might be watching you. One thing has us worried about this product: at $35, its video quality must be atrocious, even in the bright light of day. – Charlie White

USB Qcam with NightVision [USB Geek]

Minox DC 6011: Spycam Size with 3x Zoom

Charlie White — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:22:46 EST

Minox intros the DC 6011, a 6-megapixel camera that s slim and trim but fat on features. Even though it's just .7 inches thick, 3.4 inches wide and 2 inches tall, it packs a 3x optical zoom and a 2.5 inch LED screen into its meager frame. It's versatile, too, able to record video and voice on its SD card. Minox also equips the camera with PictBridge so you can print directly from its USB 2.0 port without a computer and it also includes a docking and charging station. Pricing and availability was not announced yet for this camera that's scarcely the size of a credit card.

Minox DC 6011 [Let's Go Digital]

Pricing on Minox digital cameras [Amazon]