Surveillance

DelFly Micro Dragonfly Is Smallest Creepy Autonomous Spybot Yet

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. More »

7:20 PM on Wed Jul 23 2008
By John Mahoney
5,355 views, 15 comments

Latest by cgarison: Where do I buy. I need this for the office. more »

drone

Research UAV is Preview of Hovering Spy Drones of Tomorrow

Meet STARMAC, the Stanford Testbed of Autonomous Rotorcraft for Multi-Agent Control. Possibly the cleverest remote control mini-helicopter you've ever seen, packed with GPS, sensors and computer power. It's a research quad-rotor that the Stanford team is using to develop algorithms for future aircraft like it. More »

10:40 AM on Thu Jul 3 2008
By Kit Eaton
4,506 views, 43 comments

mission impossible

$20,000 Spy Camera Disguised as Garbage Thrown Out With The Trash

A spy camera hidden in a black bag beside a notorious UK "fly-tipping" (or illegal waste dumping in the King's English) hot spot was recently thrown out by local workers with the other garbage. Apparently, this operation was so top secret that the workers in question did not need to know the details before being sent off to pick up the trash. To make matters worse, the camera has been valued at somewhere between $14 and $20,000. Basically, its just a hilarious waste of taxpayer money illustrated using equally hilarious British terminology. [Telegraph via Digg]

6:40 PM on Tue Jul 1 2008
By Sean Fallon
7,152 views, 27 comments

Latest by Rex Luna: The Wire... Totally.. more »

spying

Voyeur Security Drone is For Spying At Sea, Not at Your Neighbors

This helicopter mini-drone has been developed by the Navy to help it counter water-borne threats, despite its provocatively lurid name. Made by Lite Machines, the battery-powered Voyeur weighs just four pounds, stands 27-inches high and is actually designed to be suicidal. It's meant to hop out of sonobuoy tubes, patrol for threats for a while and then sink itself. Much more economical than helicopters or jets wasting fuel by attempting to ID surface targets (has the Navy's gas bill gone up at the moment too?) Plus it looks waaay more creepily sci-fi. [Danger Room]

6:09 AM on Tue Jul 1 2008
By Kit Eaton
2,704 views, 32 comments

Latest by macrumpton: Next week, the flying Fleshlight. Watch our famous flying team as they attempt a death defying airborne docking procedure, again and again and again... more »

security

Pennycam Captures Convenience Store Thieves, Penny Pinchers

I know how it is with you man—you see that "Take-a-Penny, Leave-a-Penny" tray and it is all "take, take, take!" Well your days of penny pinching are over now that SteathVue has developed their Pennycam. What they have done is to embed a security camera inside the tray that relays upward angled video to a DVR using a standard BNC cable. Obviously, Pennycam is intended to capture clearer (500 x 582 resolution) images of thieves that try and obscure their face from overhead cameras—and it seems to work pretty well based on the footage in the following demo video. More »

5:40 PM on Mon Jun 23 2008
By Sean Fallon
6,461 views, 32 comments

Latest by Toshie: @BigDanInTX: Yup. @Git Em SteveDave has a crush on the Swedes: Oh. That sure takes the shine off my clever then. :-( more »

gadgets

Laser Surveillance Defeater Hides Your Least Important Non-Secrets

While most of us aren't important/good looking enough for anyone to spy on, the Laser Surveillance Defeater allows us to at least pretend for a moment or two. While much of audio surveillance functions by picking up voices through windows, the $70 Surveillance Defeater can jam these signals. Sticking to your window of choice via suction cup, it sends out a cacophony of human frequencies to confound long-distance microphones. Pick yours up today and no one will ever discover that...well...you really don't do anything exciting behind closed doors. [Shomer-tec via inventorspot]

2:40 PM on Mon Jun 23 2008
By Mark Wilson
2,444 views, 6 comments

Latest by G2GdoB2B: According to this article in [www.internetevolution.com] , there are a lot of new services that offer to bug cell phones to capture and record voice (with all the information about caller, time, etc) I knew the government was doing it but more »

cctv

Stupidest Thief Ever Checks Reflection in CCTV Camera After Swiping Kid's Necklace

A mugger who stole jewelry from a teenager on a tram has dropped himself right in it, after he clocked himself in the on-board security cameras. The victim, a 16-year-old boy, was traveling with two friends on a tram in Bromley, a South London suburb, when he was approached by another kid who, after admiring the necklace and bracelet, snatched them. Rather than fleeing immediately, the dumbass tea-leaf sauntered up to the CCTV camera on board the tram, and struck a pose with the stolen items. The mugger, who claimed he was carrying a knife when the victim asked for his gear back, was described by a British Transport policeman, as "not the brightest spark. He was there for a long time and either didn't care or wasn't aware he was being filmed." [Daily Mail]

5:20 AM on Thu Jun 12 2008
By AddyDugdale
8,519 views, 53 comments

Latest by cbdsteve: @The Incredible OMG! Ponies!: "What does every criminal defendant have in common? They got caught." Uh, surely some of them are actually innocent, and therefore didn't "get caught" as much as "get wrongly arrested"? I take it you don't take on those more »

software

Surveillance Camera Software Blurs the Faces of the Innocent

Advanced video surveillance cameras that discreetly examine each face or vehicle that comes into frame are becoming more commonplace in big cities and large corporations. These cameras are equipped with intelligence algorithms that can distinguish the face, vehicle or license plate of a wanted criminal and alert the proper authorities when necessary. However, innocent people often get involved in these recordings simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. A video analysis company named 3VR is now attempting to change all that. More »

5:00 PM on Mon Jun 2 2008
By Sean Fallon
2,054 views, 23 comments

Latest by GadgetPlay: @ecobore: "ANY self-respecting criminal is either going to be driving in a stolen vehicle or one with false plates." So these systems can recognize faces but not phony plates or stolen cars? I think self-respecting criminals are going to need to more »

iphone

Lextech App Turns Your iPhone into a Surveillance Device

A company called Lextech has created an application that lets you control surveillance devices via your iPhone. As well as watching the action on the phone, the app also lets you control the cameras via its touchscreen. See the system in action in a couple of videos after the jump. More »

11:45 AM on Sat May 10 2008
By AddyDugdale
13,976 views, 20 comments

Latest by toyotaboy: cute cat, what's his name? annoying customer more »

cctv britain

UK Band Make Themselves Stars of Surveillance Cam TV

Though it's not such a familiar phenomenon in the US, the UK is now awash with closed-circuit TV cameras, one for every 14 or so people— hell, even the Lollipop Lady crossing guards are getting them. You could choose to see this as good for public safety, or as an Orwellian invasion of privacy...or even an opportunity to get your music video filmed for free. Which is exactly what unsigned Manchester-based band The Get Out Clause did, by performing their single in public in 80 locations in front of CCTV cameras. How did they get the footage, though? More »

10:20 AM on Fri May 9 2008
By Kit Eaton
6,937 views, 25 comments

Latest by n/a: Not an entirely original concept as the comedian Mark Thomas did this many years ago now recording himself and others dancing and performing infront of many different CCTV cams. I'm sure he said that he had to pay for the more »

surveillance

Cankle Fetishists Rejoice Over AC Brick Spy Camera

This AC wall adapter is no ordinary AC wall adapter. It's loaded with an A/V recorder that can save 66 hours of footage to its 2GB microSD card. And even if the wall socket is turned off, a built-in lithium ion battery will keep shooting for 3 hours of glorious, socket-height footage. Yes, that's the extreme low angle stuff. We're talking shoes. We're talking you didn't vacuum under that couch. It's just more evidence piling up to an unavoidable fact. In the future, everyone will know what everyone else looks like naked. Or we'll at least have some hot shots of one another's bare feet. [product via ohgizmo]

12:00 PM on Tue Apr 22 2008
By Mark Wilson
4,704 views, 23 comments

Latest by Poon: Me too. Just got their price list. Lots and lots and lots of uber cool stuff. This thing puts me squarely in a moral dilema. I already know the outcome. I am just seeing how more »

uavs

Prox Dynamics Black Hornet: World's Smallest UAV, Too Small for Mr. T

I'm no sissy, but I don't like airplanes. And man, don't be shouting "eclipse" or I'll get angry! But I like this helicopter: it's so small, much better than that big Boeing thing. They say it's the "worlds smallest and most capable Unmanned Aircraft System". The Black Hornet is designed to aid soldiers in the field, or allow rescuers to get a camera into dangerous places. It's got a tiny camera in, you see, like a suped-up toy. Any sucker can carry it in a pocket and launch it by hand. It's 4 inches big and weighs just 20 grams. 20 grams? What kinda fool weight is that? Say 0.04 pounds! Should be flyin' in '09. Unlike me. [Prox dynamics via Pop Sci]

8:50 AM on Tue Apr 1 2008
By Kit Eaton
4,912 views, 11 comments

Latest by FinalValgas: @Curves: I didn't expect you guys to be so supportive of Operation Lesbian Mosquito. Thanks for the ideas. Now I'm off to go risk my losing my testicles (because they may well get kicked in if I knock on more »

privacy

New Camera Can Tell Exactly What's In Your Pockets From 80 Feet Away

A British company called ThruVision has developed a camera that can detect items such as guns, drugs and explosives under people's clothes without, for better or worse, being able to see their genitals. It holds a lot of promise for places like airport security checkpoints but stands to open up a huge can of privacy-hating worms elsewhere. More »

2:30 PM on Sun Mar 9 2008
By Adam Frucci
15,942 views, 80 comments

airplanes

DARPA Close To Awarding Contract For Spy Plane That Stays Aloft For 5 Years

According to Flight Global, DARPA is close to awarding a contract to build an unmanned aircraft that can stay in the air for up to 5 years at a time. DARPA describes the "Vulture" project as a "persistent pseudo-satellite capability in an aircraft package." In other words, the aircraft can hover over a single area, narcing, communicating, or surveying for years at a time. More »

9:20 PM on Tue Mar 4 2008
By Sean Fallon
18,329 views, 30 comments

lighting

Surveillance Lamp Brings Big Brother Style To Your Space

Swedish designers Per Emanuelsson and Bastian Bischoff believe that their Surveillance Lamp is "Orwellian" in the sense that it is an "ambiguous reflection of their thoughts about the political future." That's deep and everything, but the bottom line is that a lamp modeled after surveillance cameras looks pretty damn cool. The only question is whether or not it is cool enough to drop over 50,00 EUR ($7,500) on—because that is where the bidding is on eBay right now with about six days left. [eBay via Surveillance Light via Dezeen]

6:00 PM on Wed Feb 27 2008
By Sean Fallon
2,324 views, 22 comments

Latest by bailey_ca: @Coaster: Teenage girl's room? I was thinking my living room…. It's always a bit of a hit to the ego when you find out you're as trendy as a teenage girl. Next you'll be telling me to take down my Fallout more »

surveillance

Surveillance Vest Transmits Video Evidence Via 3G

With advanced wireless technology, wearing a wire no longer means having a voice recorder or short-range radio transmitter strapped to your chest. This 3G-equipped surveillance vest can transmit a live feed anywhere in the world. There is also a panic button and GPS, which is handy when the Bad Guys notice a massive battery pack stuck to your back. The vest even has a built-in compact flash recorder for evidence if you lose cellular reception or backup doesn't arrive in time. [PhoneMag via Gizmo Watch]

9:20 PM on Sun Feb 10 2008
By Eric Sheline
3,053 views, 12 comments

Latest by Kendra: Surveillance from the chest - the Spy Vest. "Are you wearing a wire?" No, I'm wearing the whole vest! more »

big brother

Miami Cops to Use Spy Drones for SWAT Team Ops

Drones like the one you see in the video above might soon be used by the Miami Police Department, serving as an unmanned eye-in-the-sky that can go places where it's too dangerous for human beings to tread. Expected to be rolled out next year first in SWAT team operations, the 14 lb. vehicle is unarmed but can fly just about anywhere, and even goes up to altitudes of 10,500 feet. These particular craft were first tested by Honeywell early last year, and now the FAA has given Miami and Houston permission to use them in their busy airspaces. Cops say they're not going to be using these drones to spy on people. Yet. [WPLG, via CrunchGear]

12:30 PM on Wed Nov 28 2007
By Charlie White
8,919 views, 34 comments

Latest by lucface: or like those annoying security Bots in Bioshock more »

gee whiz

Stara Technologies Mini-Missile Precisely Guides Payloads to Targets

This sensor guidance system from Stara Technologies looks like a tiny precision missile, and that's basically what it is, but it's a whole lot more sophisticated than meets the eye. It's not specifically designed to deliver explosives, but when you toss it out the window of an airplane (or a Predator drone as you see here), its precision guidance system can deliver it to whatever exact coordinates you desire. It opens a parachute at the last minute to safely deliver your payload, weighing anywhere from one to 400 pounds. Does it work? Recently it proved it could deliver the goods to within around 10 feet of its target. This could be used for good or ill—from blood packets for someone severely injured, to spy gear or chemical weapons sniffers. [Stara Technologies, via Crave]

11:44 AM on Tue Nov 20 2007
By Charlie White
1,112 views, 12 comments

Latest by electrikecho: ... But look at the picture, people! That's not a bomb, it's a U.S. Army kinder surprise! more »

Gizmodo

Lightning Review: Maximo iMetal iPhone Headset

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