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UAV updateLaser-powered, ground-charged UAV stays aloft for hours
A UAV is only as good as its power source: if the drone cannot stay over target for long periods of time and must return to base to refuel, this not only adds to the costs of operating the drone but it also degrade its intelligence gathering capabilities; Seattle-based company demonstrates that it can use a laser beam to charge the UAV's photovoltaic cells, generating enough power to keep the drone in the air for hours; the company has bigger plans for extending flight duration of military craft -- and much more: in the longer term, it envisions lasers powering remote ground-based sensors, delivering power to forward military bases, or supplying emergency power during disasters
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Search and rescueSelf-learning robots to be used in earthquake, disaster rescue missions
Rescue robots capable of understanding the changing and unpredictable environment of disaster scenarios may one day be deployed to search for survivors in the aftermath of earthquakes; a robot equipped with a newly developed software, for example, would be able to recognize how something such as a stick could be used as a tool to push an object through an area too small for the robot to go into
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Law-enforcement technologyTracking technology may make incarceration a thing of the past
The United States is facing a prison problem: there are many people in prisons -- more than two million, a population the size of Houston; here is an idea: how about releasing most of them so they can lead productive lives -- but make them wear something like the ExacuTrack from Anderson, Indiana-based BI Incorporated: the combination ankle bracelet and GPS transponder keeps real-time tabs on those who wear the gear, making sure they do what they are supposed to do and stay away from places where the state does not want them
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DARPA awards additional $11 million for video search technology
As a result of advancements in intelligence gathering technologies (think UAVs), the U.S. military and intelligence community have been accumulating video archives over the past decade which make YouTube look puny; it is not only the number of pictures, but their quality: mere HD movies and TV are small and tightly compressed compared to the high resolution, full-motion imagery which pours in like an avalanche from every Predator or Reaper drone -- and dozens of these surveillance drones are airborne above southwest Asia every minute of every day; DARPA is looking for an effective, automated video search technology
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Law-enforcement technologyWolfhound sniffs out contraband cell phones
Wolfhound Cell Detector is a handheld, wireless sniffer specifically tuned to the RF signature of common cell phones; it helps universities, government and military installations, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, and prisons and correctional facilities enforce their No Wireless policies
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Mexico: descent into chaosMexico to up security in border city after blasts
Following a series of explosions in downtown Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas, the Mexican government is rushing reinforcements to the city; at the same time, thirty-five of the seventy-two bodies found in a mass grave on Saturday had been identified: sixteen Hondurans, thirteen Salvadorans, five Guatemalans, and a Brazilian; they were killed after refusing to cooperate with drug gangs
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Law-enforcement technologyDrive-by full-body scanning
Massachusetts-based American Science & Engineering is selling van-mounted backscatter X-ray detection system to law enforcement; these vans can be driven past neighboring vehicles to see their contents
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Worries about Afghan biometric database
Afghanistan is filled with corruption, fraud, and malicious police officers; its commitment to the rule of law is, to be charitable, shaky; in such a circumstance, a counterinsurgency tool like the biometric database could just as easily become predatory, allowing its possessors to take out their political or ethnic rivals and reward their allies; if the WikiLeaks disclosures put Afghans in danger, imagine what iris scans and fingerprints could mean for people who do not want to pay bribes to crooked cops
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In the trenchesU.S. military personnel increasingly using biometric technology
Since the Department of Defense implemented biometric identification technology, military personnel have seen benefits such as quickly identifying known terrorists, collecting intelligence on insurgent activities, and identifying former detainees the military had released
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Law-enforcement technology Police robot seeks out the bad guys
Police units in California use DHS grants to buy a robot to go into dangerous places to look for bad guys; the $12,000, 25-pound robot is waterproof, equipped with a 360-degree camera and tracks for movement; it climbs stairs, runs on grass and gravel, and can right itself if it flips over
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Law-enforcement technologyRayguns to be used in L.A. prisons
Officials at the Los Angeles County Jail have announced that the U.S. jails will deploy a new laser weapon to break up fights among jail inmates; the raygun, capable of producing a beam of up to 100 ft, will be positioned on the detention center's ceiling and operated by using a computer monitor and a joystick
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DetectionNew smell sensor uses genetically engineered frog eggs
Researchers use genetically engineered frog cells to develop a sensor that detects gasses; the researchers embedded the sensor into a mannequin, so that it could shake its head when a gas was detected, making it easier to observe
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Mexico: descent into chaosBusinesses cope with Mexico security risks, pass costs to consumers
Faced with the threat of smuggling attempts by criminal organizations in Mexico, foreign companies are simply doing more, spending more, and in the process charging consumers more to shore up security in a country where killings, kidnappings, and extortions have become a part of daily life
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Report: Israel "planning strike on Hezbollah sites in Syria"
Kuwaiti daily quotes unnamed Western sources to say that Israel has bolstered its military presence in the Golan and stepped up UAV, balloon overflights, in preparation for an attack on Hezbollah's weapons storage facilities in Syria; since the 2006 war with Israel, Hezbollah has been storing its more valuable rockets and missiles in facilities in Syria, figuring that Israel would think long and hard before attacking military storage facilities in Syria, even if these facilities are used to store Hezbollah's armaments; if an Israeli attack takes place, it should be seen as part of the preparations for an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear weapons facilities: in case of such an attack, Hezbollah would be instructed by Iran to launch the organization's weapons against Israel, so Israel has an interest in weakening the organization's military capabilities
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Search and rescueShape-shifting UAV for maritime search and rescue missions
Use of morphing flight surfaces has enabled the development of a shape-shifting UAV that can operate in extreme weather conditions; cutting-edge avionics ensure a smooth flight for extended rescue and surveillance missions, while reducing risks to material and crews
The Long View
Top 10 smart surveillance systems from Israel
Video surveillance systems have become an important tool in enabling authorities to trace criminals and terrorists; Israel is one of the leading players in the field of intelligent surveillance; here is a list of the Top 10 video security technologies from Israel; these companies offer solutions that range from "seeing" through walls to reducing twenty-four hours of video to a few (indexed) minutes to detecting subtle changes in the landscape to offering high-resolution under-water images, and much more
U.S. secret service forms three new task forces
New task forces will deal with electronic crimes, and the agency says the partnerships will bring together law enforcement, academia, and private sector
U.S. bolsters Hawaii's missile defense
North Korea is expected to fire a missile toward Hawaii around 4 July; the Pentagon places additional interceptors, and radar is prepared
U.S. intelligence chief: Mexico not on brink of collapse
There is a debate among different U.S. intelligent services about how close to a collapse Mexico is; Dennis Blair, director of national intelligence, says the drug cartels' escalating violence is a product of their weakening state not their strength
Country watch: Moribund MexicoMexican drug cartels employ more foot soldiers than Mexican army
Mexico is spinning out of control; narco-terrorists have infiltrated the Mexican government, creating a shadow regime that complicates efforts to contain and destroy the drug cartels; Mexico ranks behind only Pakistan and Iran as a top U.S. national security concern -- but above Afghanistan and Iraq
India's private security companies flourish
As a result of the Mumbai attacks, the Indian private security industry has been growing by leaps and bounds; already the country's private security force numbers 5 million, 1.3 million more than India's police forces
Close Quarters Combat // Tzviel (BK) BlankchteinEdged weapon defenses in extremely close proximity
Defending against an edged weapon is always difficult -- even more so in small and confined spaces such as elevators or bathrooms; often injury cannot be avoided, only minimized
