The CyberQuad, an "electric ducted quadrotor Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)," gains significant maneuverability from its fan-based technology, including a "perch and stare" function which allows it to hover in one place with increased stability and endurance. That is, until it's attacked by flying extraterrestrial fauna.

Last month, on our own planet, the CyberQuad successfully investigated an oil platform fire, beaming high-definition video back to operators stationed at a safer location. Still, its silent fans, as well as its unique "perch and stare" capabilities, suggest it could be put to use on our own battlefields in the near future. [Cyber Technologies via Wired]

Wired's Danger Room found the whole situation kind of bewildering, so they went to their military sources to find out exactly what happened:

The military initially developed the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver, or ROVER, in 2002. The idea was let troops on the ground download footage from Predator drones and AC-130 gunships as it was being taken...those early units were "fielded so fast that it was done with an unencrypted signal. It could be both intercepted (e.g. hacked into) and jammed," e-mails an Air Force officer with knowledge of the program. In a presentation last month before a conference of the Army Aviation Association of America, a military official noted that the current ROVER terminal "receives only unencrypted L, C, S, Ku [satellite] bands."

So the military fielded a rough, poorly secured video system on drones and AC-130s. We already knew that! The story's been reported, and late night comedians will have a good rest of the week. But there's a lovely twist:

Since then, nearly every airplane in the American fleet - from F-16 and F/A-18 fighters to A-10 attack planes to Harrier jump jets to B-1B bombers has been outfitted with equipment that lets them transmit to ROVERs. Thousands of ROVER terminals have been distributed to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq...

These insurgents didn't hack into a single type of drone; they found a cheap, dead-simple way to hack into the military's primary airborne surveillance system.

Is the ability to eavesdrop on live video streams from airplanes a significant strategic risk? It's debatable. But did this hack make a couple of dudes in a basement in Basrah feel like Angelina Jolie in (noted Western pornographic infidel film) Hackers? Hell yes it did. [Danger Room]

It features an internal sound amplifier, a 3.5mm jack for headphones and a USB port for recharging. Nice, but if you really want to take this whole scumbaggy espionage thing to another level, you go with the SIM card spy ear. [Chinagrabber via 7Gadgets via OhGizmo]

In other words, this would be a great, inexpensive home surveillance cam. It's supposed to be a snap to set up, and you can access the feed and control the pan and tilt of the camera from any PC or internet capable cellphone. For $300, Astak also throws in motion detection, night vision, two-way audio and a built-in DVR. I have to believe this is as good a feature set as you will find on a webcam at this price point.

ASTAK INTRODUCES WORLD'S FIRST SELF-CONFIGURING, STANDALONE INTERNET CAMERA IDEAL FOR KEEPING AN EYE ON HAPPENINGS AT HOME

YouTube, Twitter and iPhone ready, the affordable and easy-to-use Mole is the first "do it yourself, view from anywhere" solution for remote viewing and sharing

SAN JOSE, Calif.–October 28, 2009–The lowly mole is a victim of poor PR, but that's about to change with Astak Inc.'s innovative new product, the Mole — a standalone Internet camera for consumers who need an easy and affordable way to capture, view and share unattended video over the Internet. Featuring automatic network configuration, the Mole makes it simple for home or business users to remotely view and share video in real-time from any web browser, social networking site, or Internet-capable cell phone, including the iPhone.

Unlike current webcams that require a PC for use, or IP cameras that are complicated to set up and often require customer software to view, the Mole is the first "do it yourself, view from anywhere" solution for home or business surveillance, health and family care (elder or children), social network sharing, pet or , bird watching, and other unfolding events such as social gatherings. The Mole is also an ideal way to keep an eye on business or home while traveling.

"The Mole will redefine home and business surveillance, and it also opens the door to using a remote camera for sharing unattended video, since it's Web 2.0 ready," said Jason Hsia, CEO of ASTAK. "Internet citizens are already uploading over 20 hours of video to YouTube every minute. When interesting or important events are underway, you can't always be there to see or record them in person. That all changes with the Mole, where motion-detected events can be auto-uploaded to YouTube and a tweet auto-sent to your Twitter feed."

A standalone Internet camera with advanced built-in software, the Mole provides auto-configuration so that the user can set up the camera in just a few easy steps and access their video privately without any network knowledge. Once set up, the Mole allows users to adjust the pan remotely to change the view instantly. While easy-to-use and affordable, the Mole camera includes high-end features such as motion detection activation, night vision, two-way audio, and a built-in DVR. The Mole also features both Ethernet or Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Mole is designed for direct access from any web browser, which lets users watch their video instantly, from anywhere, including the iPhone. The onboard software is specifically tailored for seamless Internet sharing including auto-uploads to YouTube. Users can also choose to receive real-time alerts via email or Twitter sent to their mobile phone or any IP-enabled device.

Available in early November 2009, the Mole will be distributed through Astak's network of retail and distribution partners, including Fry's, Costco, Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Astak.com, with an MSRP of $299.00.

[Astak]

This video was captured using Logitech's WiLIfe line of security cameras and submitted to the company as part of a weekly contest that rewards customers with the best videos. Awesome—perhaps they can use any money they won to buy a gun or throw into the pot on a down payment on a place in the city. At any rate, the second and third place videos are also pretty amusing.

[WiLife]

The image above comes from Aeronvironment, and shows what it wants the prototype in the video below to ultimately look like. DARPA's goal is to have a 10 gram aircraft with a 7.5-centimetre wingspan. They want it to get into tight hiding spaces and send back GPS and image data.

Aeronvironment's progress is also notable because such robots previously couldn't carry their own batteries, and had to use guide wires.

"It is capable of climbing and descending vertically, flying sideways left and right, as well as forward and backward, under remote control," says the company.

[New Scientist]

The $170 system consists of two parts: a rechargeable wireless camera about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and a 2.75-inch wireless receiver/display. Mount the camera, plug-in the monitor up to 30 feet away, and watch the live stream.

Apparently, the camera also has nightvision capabilities (or at the very least works in low-light situations), and can record video to an SD card, which can you then copy over to your computer. [Brick House Security via Gearfuse]

The justification for this action is that if kids have structured upbringings, they won't get sucked into street crime and drugs. And because the housing is subsidized, the government isn't technically putting cameras in private homes; these are public homes.

But still, the precedent this sets is terrifying. This is the definition of a nanny state, a government that doesn't trust its citizens to live their lives autonomously so it sticks its nose into every little aspect of them for their own good.

Really, I think this can all be traced back to the Children's Secretary, Ed Balls. I mean, obviously Mr. Balls was mocked mercilessly as a child for his hilarious name. But really, Balls, do you have to take it out on the children of Britain? [Daily Express via Gadget Lab]

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.

Program manager Todd Hylton is aiming for "an approximately 10-gram aircraft that can hover for extended periods, can fly at forward speeds up to 10 meters per second, can withstand 2.5-meter-per-second wind gusts." Right now, though, the teeny robobird can only fly for about 20 seconds at a time. But with some hard work, some day we will produce a robotic hummingbird that will strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. Wait, is fear the right word? [Wired]

Just slip your SIM card into the device, hide it out of sight, and dial your phone number from another phone. It's that easy—you will hear what's going on in the room from the headset. Sure, there are probably legitimate uses for a device like this—but I'll bet that most of you are not considering them. [Brando via Crunchgear]

Bad press doesn't get much worse than that.

Gary Sutton Jr., 40, and Charles Hommema have been charged with the misdemeanors and face fines and up to a year in jail on each charge if convicted. Sutton has been released on bond, Wilson said, and Hommema is to be arraigned later this week.

The FBI gave a terse statement about the privacy of families and how they're committed to resolving the matter. [AP, thanks zenneth!]

For now, the seemingly innocuous bugs (get it? double entendre), which look a little like an ultra-low tech version of the bat bot, will make their way around Seoul and other parts of South Korea, and according to Newlaunches, will be in Tokyo soon. There's even a butterfly. How can a gentle butterfly turn you over to the cops for selling pot? There's no way that would happen!

The LightSpeed system exploits free-space optics—the ability to pass data between two points via an optical beam. The method usually involves lasers, but this system uses eye-safe infrared LEDs, similar to those used in TV remotes, says Leo Volfson, president of Torrey Pines Logic, which created LightSpeed. “The binocular has an attachment that fits over the ocular side,” Volfson says. “It produces a beam that comes out of the right eye of the binocular. On the left side is a receiver. If you look at me and I look at you, we’ll be able to talk or send information.” Range is determined by the strength of the optics. Unlike radio-wave transmissions, data transfer through the LED beam is undetectable.

There is no word on how much these things might cost, but the Volfson believes that his product has potential outside of the defense industry. That's right—bird watcher's worlds are about to get rocked by technology. [Popular Mechanics]

But what they really wanted to do in the Bradley was to make that door, in effect, transparent. It doesn’t really matter how you get there—you just want an undistorted view. That was the genesis of the idea; it got us thinking about using multiple, low-cost sensors on the outside of the vehicle and having a display inside.

The Digital Window is the first commercial product coming from this technology, designed to be used in fixed points, not in military vehicles. The combined five-sensor give 15 frames per second, with a 100 megapixel per second over its ethernet port. [Gadget Labs]

And yes, it says "this is a surveillance camera" on the side, but it's still damn cute. Record my every move all you want, Daruma-san! [Japan Probe via Crunch Gear]

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, the Justice Department has sent back evidence that law enforcement officials can use Triggerfish pretty much whenever they want, without consulting the phone companies. This looks like the use of was could most charitably be called a giant goddamn loophole: secret Triggerfish deployment is OK because it only provides its users with rough location data by pairing serial numbers, phone numbers and other identifiers to a particular tower, rather than the actual content of conversations. The moral problems here are multifaceted, but the practical ones for, you know, fugitives, are easily solved: turn off your phone. You're welcome! [Ars]

As anyone who's been to Japan knows, there are vending machines all over the place there, especially in the cities. They're on every block and ever corner, offering up hot coffee in a can and cigarettes whenever you need them. The next generation of vending machines, as first released on Friday, will also include a security camera, an emergency phone and an alarm.

The camera will be a CCTV camera accessed by the police department. When the door to the emergency phone is opened, an alarm on the top of the machine starts going off, alerting those around you that you're in trouble.

With only the first machine being installed a few days ago, there's already been a backlash against it, with someone tearing off the camera and spraypainting "Surveillance Society" on the machine.

Will these machines catch on, slowly replacing the thousands of vending machine already spread across Japan, or will the people there stand up against becoming another country where privacy takes a backseat to security? Time will tell. [JapanProbe]

Nobody's arguing that it's not easier and more efficient to track a criminal with a GPS tag than by trailing him with a man in a car, Herc and Carv style (even though they like GPS tags, too). What is being questioned, though, is whether this practice can be put into place to track anyone, without having prior consent for a warrant. Currently the answer is an unofficial (ie: a largely unchallenged) yes, as long as the vehicle is tagged on public property and not, say, in the garage. What privacy advocates are arguing, however, is that GPS tracking without a warrant is now approaching invasive, 24-hour surveillance state levels as the gear gets cheaper and more widespread by the day.

A recent ruling by the Washington State Supreme Court is among the first to swing the balance toward requiring warrants for tracking. But until a more definitive ruling, you'll have to stick with dubious GPS bug detectors if you're paranoid. [Washington Post via Slashdot]

The GPS-equipped devices also allow for remote disabling by "cutting off the oil or electric supply," effectively shutting down the engine and keeping it from being restarted. Yikes.

Beijing police tow the general "it's for the driver's safety" line:

Whether these microphones are used to spy on riders is unclear. Asked if police could listen in on conversations in taxis, a Beijing police official declined to comment, saying that such matters were "confidential" and that they were "not supposed to release such details to the public."

As the State Department has warned, you can expect to be monitored in just about every other place, public or private. It's doubtful that every cab is being recorded at all times, but the tech is there if necessary. Comforting.

Several Beijing taxi companies declined to comment on the security aspect but said that the GPS helps track taxis and that the microphones will be used for translating services. About a dozen taxi drivers said the microphones were installed about three years ago, when newer cabs were built without protective metal cages around the drivers. Cabbies can turn on the system and alert their dispatch centers by touching a discreet button near the steering wheel.

Activists say they are concerned about the ability to listen to conversations with the devices, which appear unique to China. "This seems to suggest an effort by the police or other security forces to eavesdrop on conversations of passengers, rather than for the immediate safety and security of the taxi driver," said Phelim Kine of Human Rights Watch.

Read more pan-Gawker coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games.

[WSJ]