Technabob » spy

Polarized Privacy Monitor Hack: Now You See It, Now It’s White

Lambert Varias — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:00:29 +0000

It may sound like an oxymoron, but the Privacy Monitor is actually a very cool and somewhat practical mod by Instructables user dimovi. Only the wearer of a complementary pair of glasses can see what’s being displayed on the Privacy Monitor; everyone else will only see an annoying white screen.

Dimovi was able to pull this off by removing the polarized film within the LCD monitor and attaching it to a pair of sunglasses. You have to be familiar with polarization to understand how this algebraic trick works. I trust in your Googling skills but for now just know that a polarizer – such as the polarized film commonly found in monitors – is designed to allow only a portion of light waves to pass through it. Watch and be amazed:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The PlayStation 3D monitor works in a similar fashion to allow individual players to see just their half of a two-player game.

Unfortunately the polarization mod is as complicated as the property of polarization. It involves a laser cutter, some solvent and a gerbil. Okay I was kidding about the last part. Go undercover and sneak to Instructables to get the details on the mod. This post will not self-destruct.

Giant US Defense Spy Blimps to Roam Afghan Skies

Range — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 15:00:55 +0000

While this massive blimp looks pretty awesome, I’m just sad that it’s a spy drone and not a passenger airship, allowing people to take leisurely trips around the world (à la Fringe). The awkwardly-named Blue Devil Block 2 dwarfs a nearby 18-wheeler, allowing you to fathom its gigantic size.

It’s 370 feet long and by next year, it will house a supercomputer and surveillance equipment to allow it to look over the Afghan battlefield, 36 square miles at time – from a height of 20,000 feet+. Since it moves slowly, and doesn’t just fly over quickly in a pass, it’s going to be quite useful. It will probably help the US military achieve something called air supremacy.

This is one of two mega-airships that the military is funding thanks to a $211 million dollar investment. How long before Big Brother decides to park a few of these over your city to act as the eye-in-the-sky?

[via Wired]

CrazyFlie: Tiny Barebones Quadrocopter Weighs Less than an Ounce

Range — Mon, 02 May 2011 12:25:40 +0000

While I think that quadrocopters are cool, they tend to be big devices. That’s why I like this tiny quadrocopter, which only weighs 20 grams. It’s basically a PCB with some rotors on it, which is why it is so light. All of the telemetry is being handled on a computer, so it’s essentially a thin-client UAV, which is even more awesome (awesomer?).

It’s called the CrazyFlie and it’s made by Daedalus Projects. Their aim was to make a barebones flying robot, cutting out anything that wasn’t needed. In addition to weighing under an ounce, it measures just under 5″ (12cm) square. The prototype wasn’t cheap or easy to make, but hopefully we’ll be getting a kit of some kind at some point.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Check out how stable and precisely it can fly. That’s due to the four rotors, which help keep it quite centered, without being too much of a hassle to pilot.

[Hack a Day via CrunchGear]

AC Adapter Hidden Camera: Plug and Play

Lambert Varias — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:07:02 +0000

If you’re looking for a hidden camera that would blend in your office or appliance-packed house, this just might be the thing you need. Just plug it in and it’ll start recording as soon as it detects motion. It records 720 x 480 video at 30fps and backs it up to a microSD card.

You do have to plug it in to an actual, working AC outlet because that’s where the camera gets its power. If the microSD card runs out of space, the camera will write over the oldest footage, so it’s practically maintenance free.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can order the AC Adapter Hidden Camera from Brickhouse Security for $295 (USD); it comes with a 4GB microSD card, although the camera itself supports cards up to 32GB. If you want to have the option to record video 24/7 or have timestamps on your recordings, you’ll have to shell out $100 more for the Pro version. For those prices you’d better have some conveniently located AC outlets, otherwise all you’ll get are videos of legs and feet.

[via The Gadgeteer]

Anna Chapman Spy Glasses: 007 or 00-Sexy?

Range — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:57:14 +0000

You might have thought that spies didn’t need all those fancy gadgets anymore, but you’d be wrong. These fancy glasses are a little less geeky than the other spy glasses we’ve seen (but not too much so). Naturally, the Anna Chapman moniker comes from the sultry Russian spy who was busted wearing specs like these.

Truth or fantasy, we’ll never know, but these specs will allow you to look stylish while you’re spying. Although they’re not exactly inconspicuous.

They’ve got 4GB of internal storage, which allows you to store up to one hour of continuous video in high resolution (1,280×720, 30fps). On top of that, they also have a built-in microphone. A handy USB port allows you to download all of your missions.

Given the bad Photoshop job below, I’m sure that Anna Chapman had nothing to do with the making of these. But you’ll still make Q proud if you wear these stylish spy glasses. They’re available over at Chinavasion for about $114 (USD).

(Cheesy image below slightly NSFW…)

[via GeekAlerts]

iRobot 110 FirstLook: The Little Spy Car That Could

Range — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:40:14 +0000

The iRobot 110 FirstLook is built to serve the military and law enforcement. From the looks if things, that’s pretty obvious from the get-go. Usually, you don’t need a robotic spy cam unless you are defusing bombs or conducting surveillance. But hey, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have some fun with it if you’ve got the cash to get one.

Currently, the FirstLook is a prototype, but it will be available for purchase next year. It’s waterproof (up to 3 feet), shockproof (up to 15 feet), can even climb steps and obstacles. The cool thing about this design is that it can even flip itself without too much effort. This ‘bot weighs less than 5 lbs and measures only 10 inches in length.

The robot has got 4 cameras with full audio, and it’s controlled via a wrist-mounted touchscreen remote. I imagine that controlling it via an iPhone app may also be possible. It will last up to 6 hours with a charge.

Here’s a quick video overview of the 110 FirstLook in action:

[via Ubergizmo]

World’s Smallest Video Camera Can Fit In Your Nose

Range — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:05:03 +0000

This is the world’s tiniest camera and it’s been designed to shoot video inside your body. It’s supposed to replace the fiber optic endoscope despite the fact that I saw it used in the last episode of House, it’s not science fiction.

The camera is about 1 mm³ in size – about “the size of a coarsely ground grain of salt,” and that’s pretty small. It’s got 62,500 pixel resolution, so the images it captures inside your body should be pretty sharp. The developer is the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and they say that the camera should be cheap enough to be disposable by 2012.

There could be a lot of uses for this type of tiny camera, from a Big Brother-like surveillance scenario, to better rear view mirrors for your SUV. Fraunhofer expects these cameras to become available next year. I wonder when they will make a wireless version.

[via Gizmag]

DARPA-Commissioned Robotic Hummingbird Takes to the Air

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:50:21 +0000

When I think about DARPA building robots, I envision something along the line of the Terminator or Johnny 5. That isn’t what DARPA has in mind though (at least in this project) as one of its projects has hit the prototype operation phase.

The project is the AeroVironment Nano Air Vehicle, and it looks like a hummingbird. The company says that the micro-aircraft is larger and heavier than an average hummingbird, but weighs less and is smaller than the largest hummingbird in nature. The remote controlled aerial vehicle has flapping wings that provide the ability to hover and fly in any direction the operator wants. Here’s a video showing the Nano hummingbird in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The tiny UAV measures 6.5-inchs wing tip to wing tip and has a total flying weight of 19 grams. That is very light considering the robot has all the hardware needed for flight, controls, a video camera, and the battery. The video that the flying machine shoots can be sent to a remote operator as well. According to AeroVironment, the hummingbird design could someday be used for providing undercover reconnaissance in urban environments.

Abit PHS Wristwatch Phone Lets You Look Like a Spy

Range — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:37:20 +0000

For years, everyone wanted a wristwatch phone, but they’ve been eclipsed by really good smartphones. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to pretend that I’m a spy like anyone else, but like many of the iPod Nano watch bracelets have shown, it just doesn’t make sense to plug in some headphones onto something that’s strapped on your wrist.

This watch is from Abit and will only be available in Japan, at least for now. It’s available for the Willcom cell phone carrier. There are yet no details on price and when it will be released, but it’s supposed to be used for data retrieval via the cell phone network, a sort of cloud-based watch phone.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

It’s got a certain geek appeal. What do you guys think? Or you will wait for the iPod Nano phone watch instead?

[via DVice]

Japanese Wrist Phone: Big Brother is Watching You Slack Off

Range — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:11 +0000

It looks like nightmares are becoming a reality for the Japanese. A new cell phone from KDDI, that’s packaged attractively as a wrist phone, will be able to tell if you’re slacking off at work. It will then rat you out to your boss!

This is definitely some Orwellian technology. The phone’s accelerometer is sensitive enough to track the movements of your arm. If don’t move a lot, the phone will report you to your boss.

KDDI claims that it can tell if you’re walking, going up stairs, or cleaning. It will also tell if you are taking a snooze, spending time idling. I can just imagine the situation. A new salary-man gets a job and to top things off, he gets a brand new wristphone watch. A month later, he’s informed that he lost his job because he wastes too much time doing nothing. No thanks.

[BBC via DVice]

Fbi Probes Case of Alleged School Spying on Students via Webcam

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:30:57 +0000

Back when I was in school, I often suspected that the teachers were dumbasses. I was never able to get the proof I needed back then, but a bunch of outright morons at a school district in Pennsylvania have proven me correct once and for all. There is some serious trouble brewing over allegations that the district was spying on students using the webcams in school issued Apple notebooks.

The whole thing started when a student at Harriton High School in Lower Merion district was called in to see vice principal Lindy Matsko back on November 11, and told that he was “engaged in improper behavior in his home” and cited as evidence a photo captured on his computer by the webcam. The student and his family filed suit against the district, which the FBI got wind of and launched on official probe. The school said the remote activation is a security feature to help recover stolen notebooks.

To put the moron icing on the dumbass cake, the district says that the paperwork the students signed (mostly underage students mind you) to get the school issued notebooks said that the webcams could be activated without prior notification. The parents and families of the students were never notified of the webcam activation clause, henceforth known as the clause of absolute stupidity. Witold Walczak legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said, “This is an age where kids explore their sexuality, so there’s a lot of that going on in the room. This is fodder for child porn.”

Brilliant.

[via Washington Post]

Guerrilla Gardening Just Went Spy Tech

P. Blandino — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:16:41 +0000

Guerrilla gardening is a form of activism where a gardener plants seeds or crop in abandoned land they do not own, or even public property (which I’m gonna guess is illegal). Most of these actions are done in the cover of night so they’re not caught in action. Designer Vanessa Harden has invented a few spy gadgets for these gardeners to do their work in the sun. The Precision Bombing Device I is made to look like an standard SLR camera but actually it shoots out sugar glass covered seeds like a BB gun.

Check out the demo video below to see The Precision Bombing Device I in action.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I would have never imagined gardening would look so cool when using spy inspired tools. You can check out more tools on Vanessa’s design website. Honestly, I’m about to buy some sugar coated seeds so I can load up my BB gun and plant my new yard from my window.

Lighter Spy Camcorder Equipped With Amazing “Mircophone” Technology

Lambert Varias — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:40:55 +0000

That’s right folks. Brando – who else – are selling a spy camcorder that looks like a lighter, but the most amazing thing about it is not its disguise but its audio capturing device, something called a “mircophone.”

And just to prove to the world that this isn’t just the work of a drunken proofreader, here’s another shot of the spy camcorder with the case removed:

Awesome. I heard that its a transducer, a magical thingamajig that converts sound into electrical signals. Using magic. Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before? Sadly, the mircophones’ companion device is nothing but a plain camera. The camera takes 640×480 video at 16 fps and saves it in .avi format. The camcorder has 2 GB of built-in memory. Boooring. Someone invent a carema.

The spy camcorder runs on a rechargeable Li-ion battery. Brando doesn’t mention if the device also functions as an actual lighter; don’t try lighting up while you’re on a stake out or your target might notice you. So be careful, unless you want mircophone technology to fall into the hands of the enemy.

The lighter spy camcorder sells for $66 USD at Brando ‘s online store.

Srv-1 Blackfin Wi-Fi Camera Robot Lets You Spy From Afar

Technabob — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:14:57 +0000

This palm-sized robot can wind its way between the cubicles at your office, snapping digital video of unsuspecting parties with a built in wireless video camera.

The Surveyor SRV-1 Mobile Robot cruises around on smooth and rough surfaces thanks to a pair of tank-like treads, and can be controlled anywhere your Wi-Fi connection can reach. An 802.11 b/g receiver on board the rechargeable ‘bot lets you drive the little guy from any computer on the network – even from across the globe.

Under the hood of the SRV-1 is a powerful 1000MIPS 500MHz Blackfin BF537 processor with 32MB of RAM and 4MB of Flash storage. The robot has a 1280×1024 (1.3 megapixel) color video camera, and can avoid obstacles such as walls thanks to a pair of built-in laser pointers. A 7.2V rechargeable battery pack should let you cruise around for up to 4 hours on a single charge.

And since the robot is powered by open-source code, you can customize the software to your own needs. Me? I’m building Skynet v1.0. Thanks to RoboRealm, I can control my robot army with C/C++, Python, Java, C#, Lisp, Visual Basic, WScript or COM. Of course, I always figured that Skynet would be written in Logo or Whitespace, so I guess I’ll have to rethink my evil plan.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can get your hands on the SRV-1 robot over at ThinkGeek for $474.99 (USD).

Sneaky Stick: Portable Hidden Camera With Built-in Dvr and Audio

Lambert Varias — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:30:41 +0000

Want to know who keeps on stealing your drink from the office fridge? The drink that you so clearly labeled with your full name along with a fingerprint of your right thumb to eliminate all ambiguity as to the ownership of said drink? You could either ask each and everyone of your co-workers, or you could spy on them. The former is tedious and has a low chance of success, whereas the latter can be easy and fun, thanks to gadgets like this portable hidden camera stick.

The camera is about the size of a stick of chewing gum so you can easily hide it. It can capture still images, audio and video with a (ultra-grainy) resolution of 352 x 288, and it adds a time & date stamp to the video or image it takes. It has 2 GB of memory built-in, which can be augmented by a mini SD card. You can transfer the data from the camera to a computer via USB.

The camera works for up to 2 hours, enough time for you to catch the drink thief. Connecting it to a computer via USB also recharges it. The camera sells for $38 USD at Amazon.

[via devicepedia]

Ultraviolet Spy Pen Lets You Write and Read Invisible Messages

Technabob — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:11:13 +0000

Here’s a handy way to keep a secret. Just grab one of these ultraviolet invisible ink pens, and you can leave yourself hidden messages that you can easily decode using the same pen you wrote them with.

Each pen has a built-in ultraviolet LED light, you can read messages that are invisible to the naked eye. It’s perfect for writing down personal information like your PIN number or passwords – assuming of course that nobody else has a black light lying around, and you can actually remember where the heck you wrote your note. Keep in mind that while the ink is “invisible”, it’s also permanent, so don’t be writing nasty bathroom stall limericks on the walls of your house unless you plan on living with them in perpetuity.

If you want to exchange secret notes with a friend, buy a couple and play a game to see if you can find all the hidden messages you leave for each other. Of course, running around with a UV light in hand, you might come across other evidence of foul play you didn’t intend to. Don’t mind that blood spatter – it’s nothing.

The Invisible Ink Spy Pen is available over at Perpetual Kid for $9.99 (USD).

Mr. Microphone Spy Hack: be Back to Stalk You Later

Technabob — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:26:50 +0000

Remember the 1970s classic Mr. Microphone? Here’s a fun use for the old toy that turns it into a bit more devious of a device than originally intended.

This brilliant, but simple hack by electronics tinkerer Kipkay takes the guts out of an old Mr. Mic, improves the audio quality, and turns it into an easily concealed wireless spy microphone.

With just a few minutes of simple soldering, a couple of bucks worth of parts, and an Airwick Stick-Up air freshener, you’ll have a mini spy gadget that’ll let you listen in on unsuspecting victims from afar.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While Kipkay’s video does a good job walking you through the basics, head on over to Instructables for the full walkthrough.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Now you didn’t think I’d let you leave without featuring the classic Ronco commercial, did you?

Tiny Wireless Camera Goes Anywhere, Even Underwater

Technabob — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:30:14 +0000

Measuring just 0.7″ x 1.4″ x 0.6″, and weighing in at about 0.5 ounce, this miniature camera can fit just about any place you can imagine. Just charge it up, and it’ll capture full color images and transmit them to a wireless receiver.

RF System Lab’s RC-12 wireless mini cam can send video over distances as far as 30 meters away (about 98 feet). The tiny camera uses a 1/4-inch CMOS chip to capture full color images. The camera’s built-in rechargeable battery should give you about 45 minutes of video on a single charge. The minuscule camera can even capture images underwater when slipped into its included waterproof case. Video resolution is 0.27 megapixels (just about VGA).

While originally available only in Japan, you can now find the $269 RC-12 from the gadget importers over at CScout’s Japan Trend Shop.

Spy Cam Fits in Pack of Chewing Gum

Technabob — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:45:18 +0000

Need to grab some vid clips on the down low? This tiny spy camera is designed to fit perfectly inside a gum wrapper, and can capture digital audio and video without any external hardware.

While the camera’s 176 x 144 capture resolution isn’t sharp enough for than grabbing more than rudimentary moving images, it’s enough to get the general idea of what’s going on. A built-in SD memory card slot provides up to 2GB of digital storage, and at that low resolution, I’d imagine you can store quite a bit of content on a single card.

Gadget importer Chinavasion offers the mini spy cameras for about $100 each (or less in wholesale lots). Expect to spring another 75 cents for a pack of Juicy Fruit or DoubleMint.

[via 7Gadgets]

Camouflage Night Vision Camera Snaps Sneaky Pics

Technabob — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 04:20:32 +0000

Bushnell’s new Trail Scout Pro 5.0 night vision digital camera is designed to be mounted to a tree in the forest, and automatically snaps 5-megapixel digital photos of anything that crosses its path.

In addition to being able to shoot night vision pics, the $270 (street price) camera switches into a full color mode during daylight. You can also set it up to snap 15-second movie clips instead of high-res photos if you’re trying to capture that elusive Sasquatch in action.

The battery powered camera is supposed to work for about 30 days on a single set of batteries, since it’s not wasting any juice unless it’s triggered.

I guess this thing is designed for hunters to keep an eye on what’s roaming out in the trees at night, but the whole idea of seeing what’s going on in the darkness of the woods feels a little Blair Witch Project to me.

[Order from Amazon]