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Showing posts with label Spy/ Surveilance Gizmos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spy/ Surveilance Gizmos. Show all posts

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Spy Cameras of the Future!

One limitation of traditional cameras is the fact that they must be long in order to have an optical zoom, which is composed of several lenses that bend and focus light. Digital zoom is available for spy cameras and mobile phones, but such zoom makes the image blurry and with low contrast.

A new technology developed at the University of California at San Diego could solve this problem, though. The technology involves optical lenses folded together like origami. Current prototypes are already producing the same image quality as that of a 6-megapixel camera, despite being much thiner.

Joseph Ford, an optical engineer involved on the project, commented: “Traditional camera lenses are typically made up of many different lens elements that work together to provide a sharp, high quality image. Here we did much the same thing, but the elements are concentric mirrors folded on top of one another to reduce the thickness of the optic (…) our imager is about seven times more powerful than a conventional lens of the same depth”

Just to get an idea of the effects of such technology consider that cell phones using the folded optics technology will be able to focus on objects as mush as eight times more distant than the current maximum.

The performance of spy cameras will follow alike, as you can imagine. By the way if you are looking for some spy gadgets check out the Mini Wireless Spy Camera or the Spy Tie!

Via: LiveScience

Wireless Mini Spy Camera with Night Vision!

It seems like there is always a new cool gadget that surpasses the others in quality. Just imagine the power you would weild in the surveilance arena with a such a powerful gadget under your belt (or wherever you decide to conceal it :))!

To start with, this is a spy cam so it has to be small in order to be placed in strange places for important observations, you wouldn’t want a gigantic camera ruining your projects, now would you? It only measures 3 x 3 x 4cm which can be considered too tiny for a camera.

Besides the smallness detail there is also the Night Vision aspect of the thing. The most important things happen during the night according to night owls (like myself), so having a camera recording the activity in a room with hopes to watch something… erotic (?) is well worth the money. Anyway, the night vision feature works in coordination with infrared LEDs and a sensor, whenever it feels like there is little light, it triggers the LEDs and the final image stays clear and sharp even in total darkness. The only bad thing is the image being black and white only on those dark situations.

The camera has a normal yet cool working system, it is the wireless kicking in. How it works: place the spy cam wherever you want - plug the receiver into a TV – and voilá, the sound + video is being transmitted to the TV if you are within 100 meters away from the camera.

It costs $127 at ParamountZone, TV not included!

Spyke - Make your own WiFi Spy Robot

It’s another robot with a cutesy name, SPYKE the WiFi Spy Robot. It’s due to be sold under the Meccano brand name which is pretty appropriate as you’ll have to make him your self.

Once constructed you’ll be able to control Spyke from any Internet enabled PC, he incorporates VOIP and a web-cam so you’ll be able to send him on dangerous spying missions and watch the results from the other side of the world. When SPYKE is running low on robot juice he’ll use his auto parking system to dock with his recharging system.

You should be able to make your own Skype in September 2007 with a price point planned at under $300. More info (but not a lot more) over at Spyke World.

Spy with your Tie!

If you're the types who likes weilding exclusive gizmos, no matter how outlandish they may sound, the Spy Tie is definitely for you. Or you may need it if you're a full time detective or a business executive or hot shot who's prone to receiving threats.... recorded evidence you know! Or maybe as a gift for a gadget freak who already has so many that a mundane iPod would sound lame for him!

This unique piece of fashion is melded with the latest technology to create a Bond-like aura whenever you put it on. Sure, it is no piece of haute couture but then again, how many ties do you have in your wardrobe that comes with an extremely high resolution CCD pinhole camera that is discreetly hidden and is capable of recording up to 280 minutes’ worth of video, depending on the size of the memory card used?

In addition, the video recorder also boasts an integrated monitor and a remote control unit. The 2.4″ TFT LCD monitor makes it possible for you to review what you have just recorded, and there are up to 4 recording modes to choose from. You can either set it to automatic, manual, motion detection, or scheduled. This Spy Tie accepts SD cards as the recording media of choice, supporting up to 4GB worth of data. Unfortunately, the device has a battery life of only 1 hour so having so much space is pretty pointless. Oh yeah, another major stumbling block would be the price - you would have to fork out a cool $1,300 for the Spy Tie!

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Gizmos for the Bond in you!

Implantable Radio Frequency Identification Tags

These devices are commonly known as RFID tags, and are most widely used in standard supermarket and library security systems. Ken Livingstone's faintly Orwellian Oyster cards, for paying Tube fares, are also individual RFID tags. The example pictured is particularly small - the size of a grain of rice - and could therefore be implanted under the skin of a human, in the same way that many household pets now carry ID chips. Once there, it can be used for identification, tracking or to store vital medical details such as blood group and allergies, or even used instead of a credit card.

Entomopter

A micro air vehicle (MAV) inspired by the movement of an insect, rather than a traditional aircraft. It can fly, crawl and swim, accessing areas that remote-controlled helicopters, for instance, cannot reach. Could be used in both emergency and espionage situations to enter a building (say through an open window). This example is about six inches long. The only thing preventing smaller versions being developed is the relatively large size of batteries. This machine uses a "reciprocating chemical muscle" that flaps the MAV's wings, and the waste gases from its fuel cell are recycled to power the flight controls and its on-board sonar sensor.

Keystroke Logger

This discrete device can be plugged into the back of any PC, and will then capture every keystroke typed in by the user. In the past, criminals and spies have used keystroke loggers to discover passwords and even invade online bank accounts. They are simple, effective and widely used, and can now be bought from any spy shop for around £50. Because they are hardware, rather than invasive items of software, normal anti-virus devices won't pick them up: the only way to tell they're there is to look at the back of your computer. Knowing these exist may make you think twice about using internet cafés...

Mobile phone security

The advent of mobile phones has been a gift to spies, who can pack a handset with hidden technology, from bug detectors to voice changers that disguise their identity. To be sure that the gadget does not fall into the wrong hands, they can also be fitted with iris scanners. Although expensive now, this could be the answer to gadget theft in the future. After all, colour screens were once expensive, too.

Spyrobot camera

The "tough-grip" wheels allow this mobile device to crawl into danger zones, run down stairs, and climb 40-degree slopes. It is self-righting, and can survive a 2m drop before being used to shoot either video or stills. This model is made by a firm called Macroswiss and can be bought over the counter for a few thousand pounds. It can be thrown through a glass window and used to film the inside of an unfamiliar building, and has all kinds of implications for fire brigades and rescue teams.

Super-powered Spy Leg

Finally, this is one possible example of technology that spies might use in 20 years, given current trends, a vision of the future from product designers at the Royal College of Art. It's a prototype of an artificial leg that would be stuck on in place of the agent's real limb to augment his (or her) physical skills. Four separate attachments can be used: a "cheetah" leg for fast running and high jumping, a tentacle appendage to help you climb like an octopus, a grapple hook for hanging (like Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible) and a swanky brogue for undercover work. It's all a bit Inspector Gadget.



Source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk