Voice activated recorders

As we know too well, among places in need of a video surveillance system, airports are certainly ranking on top of the list, both for the number of cameras needed and for the complexity required of their systems, which must be capable of covering large areas, granting the possibility of a swift intervention in case of need or danger.

And among big airports, US ones are those in need of higher security standards. Recently the Denver International Airport, ranking tenth worldwide by number of passengers, being in need to upgrade its existing (and outdated) analog CCTV system, has turned to Genetec, one of the largest operators in this field, to provide protection for the 137 square kilometers that the airport consists of, by using their trademark surveillance system Omnicast.

The system currently in place is made up of 1200 cameras and 18 servers, and these figures should be at least doubled in 18 months from now, using Omnicast to monitor security control checkpoints, boarding gates as well as external customers such as airlines, parking areas, police offices and fire department, operating in the airport area.

The aim of the whole Omnicast move is to unify under one roof all the surveillance systems used by the different operators working in the airport, providing an integrated communication that makes it easier to exchange information in case of need, and also facilitates staff interchangeability. It will also be possible to reduce the server and bandwidth space needed to store such a volume of video data, creating a central integrated archive accessible to everyone concerned.

Protecting a building or a property with fences, barbed wire and closed-circuit cameras may be really expensive, but a recent invention coming from Tel Aviv University might revolutionize environmental surveillance and security.

The Smart Dew sensors, smaller than a coin, can be scattered at random all around the area that needs to be monitored, in a practically invisible fashion, and each one of them has a range of approximately 50 meters, which guarantees a total security.

Each one of these sensors is equipped with a miniature radio transceiver, and they can be interconnected within a wireless network, setting up their sensitivity level in order to be able to recognize the different kinds of intrusions they might face (a human, a vehicle or an animal), as well as changes in temperature, carbon monoxide emissions or changes in light and vibrations.

They can also be equipped with highly sensitive miniature microphones, capable of picking up sounds coming from an intruder, or magnetic sensors which would detect the presence of a car within their range by its metal. Each sensor is communicating via radio with a base station which collects and analyzes the data received.

Thanks to their extremely tiny size, which makes them practically invisible especially when strategically placed under a rock or on a lawn, and to the possibility of using hundreds of sensor to monitor the area, finding them all would really be a mission impossible.

Also, at the cost of only 25 cents per sensor, and because of the very low operational cost of a bug which uses low-frequency radio signal, this system could be an interesting alternative to the traditional covert listening devices, suitable for being used in large properties, airport areas or even in border zones where constant surveillance would be impractical.

Robotic prostheses currently used to give at least a bit of dignity to those who lost a hand or an arm due to an accident, have several limitations. First of all, along with the discomfort and trouble in wearing them, comes the lack of response under the sensory point of view, which makes it very hard to forget that the piece of plastic you are wearing is not your hand.

At the University of Michigan, researchers are working on a sort of sleeve, to be placed over nerve endings which have been severed with the accident; the sleeve can improve hand prostheses’ performance, and restore sense of touch in patients.

The researchers have created a sort of interface made up of muscle cells and polymeric material, which connects the nerve endings to the prosthetic hand. Thanks to this neuro-muscular junction, the brain can control muscles’ movements. By using the interface, signals sent by the nerve endings towards the brain, which are normally useless, can be used to control muscle movements and generate touch sensations.

Muscle cells mounted on the “glove” and nerve endings on the limb interact with each other, creating a stable connection. In laboratory tests, results are showing that not only does the usage of this interface improve the prosthetic hand’s motion control, but it mostly makes it possible to have a two-way communication, sending temperature and touch impulses to the brain, enabling it to tell a rough surface from a smooth one, or cold from hot.

The project, funded by the US Department of Defense, is initially aimed at improving the life of those who came back from Iraq or Afghanistan with permanent injuries, but it is obviously opening interesting possibilities for those who suffered mutilations while working. The first tests on humans are scheduled in approximately three years from now.

With more and more professionals, business men, journalists and students laying their hands on the voice recorders, these products are being marketed and sold like hot cakes. The latest craze around is the handheld digital voice recorder. It is a common observation that people with lesser experience are often misguided and finally land up buying an inappropriate tool.

So to safeguard all Endoacustica constantly floods quality products to suit individual requirements. Leading the charts Endoacustica has recently launched one of the best handheld digital voice recorders. To initiate, the tool is designed to support more than 37 hours of recording. Also, its aptness to function on multi channels it can be conveniently used to record all kinds of voice signals.

Further, the LCD display allows one to check on the operating mode and recording time respectively. Tie clip microphone along with facilities to double speed recording the product surely stands out in crowd. Also telephonic conversations can be recorded with the version by means of a telephone adapter. Amazingly, the tool is developed to support 280 hours of recording with 1 GB flash memory.

A research team from University of Utah is at work on a project that allows usage of a small network of wireless radio transceivers, in order to detect movements of people on the other side of a wall.
Thanks to this detection system, based on the RTI (Radio Tomographic Imaging) concept which allows the images to be send via airwaves, police, surveillance forces and firemen will be able to detect intruders or casualties trapped inside a building, by simply placing these small transceivers in the area.

The RTI system is basically reading the “shadows” of radio waves when they pass through a person in motion, and based on these shadows it builds an image. In an experiment that has been used as an example, scientists have created a small network with 28 transmitters, placing them in rectangular shape in a room and in the garden outside the house.

At this point, the radio signal strength was measured, first when the rectangle was empty, and then with a person inside it. By transferring the relevant data to a computer with a calculation software, a very blurred image, resembling a shadow, is created by this software.
By improving method and detection systems, it has been possible to detect human movements on the other side of a wall.
The network used is not a normal Wi-Fi network such as the one normally used at home for computers, so it can not be detected by devices using such protocol, and can be used for surveillance purposes. The Zigbee communication protocol used for this system can generally be found in automated domestic appliances.

Since it is based on radio waves, it can also work in the dark, and due to the very blurred image that can be obtained, it does not pose any kind of threat under the privacy point of view. In order to obtain images with a better quality, an optimal solution is the usage of optical fiber devices, such as for example a fiberscope, made up of a tiny cable, only 2.5 mm in diameter, which carries a drill bit camera at one end.

Just dig a hole in the wall and insert the cable, and maybe connect the fiberscope to a digital video recorder to record high quality images inside a room. Alternatively, a non invasive option, used only to listen through the wall to what happens in the room nearby, is the usage of a wall microphone.

A wall microphone is basically a technologically advanced version of our doctor’s stethoscope, equipped with high sensitivity microphones and connected to a power amplifier, which makes it capable of listening through brick walls without arising any unnecessary suspicion or attention. Once again, in this case you can use a digital recorder to store any information or evidence gathered.

When someone pays attention to all details of what happens around him and does not miss a detail, you can say that “he’s got eyes even behind his back”. Now this saying can become true, with a small difference: the eyes can effectively be located … inside your ears!

Relax, we are not talking about some kind of medieval torture, in which the unfortunate prisoners got their eyes taken out and forced into their ears for some macabre punishment. We are rather talking about an ear camera, in high definition and color, that you can use for hidden high quality video footage.

Thanks to Ear Cam, you will have at your disposal a professional system for discreet vision, which can also be connected to a wireless transmission system for hidden video shooting and transmission, both for leisure (for example for candid camera videos to be shot with a hidden cam), or for covert monitoring or surveillance operations.

At a first glance, it will look like you are listening to music, or that you have an earphone connected to your mobile phone, while through the micro camera hidden inside one of the earpieces, you are actually taking a video of all that happens around you, with a resolution of 400 TV lines on 316k pixels.

For optimal performance, Aar-Cam can be connected to a digital micro recorder, which looks like a normal MP3 player, on which you will be able to store up to 1 Gb of footage, that is, over 4 hours of evidence to be used in trial.

All this, while the people around you will probably laugh at you and your MP3 player fixation…

In order to detect chemical agents used for the preparation of bombs and explosives, scientists from the Northern Irish Queen’s University based in Belfast, are working on some sensors which can act quickly, thanks to their pads containing a special gel, which are swiped over a person or a crime scene, to gather samples which are then analyzed by a scanner.

Within a few seconds, thanks to this combination, the scanner will be able to detect any possible presence of chemical agents, enabling security staff to act immediately to counter a terrorist threat.
Thanks to Raman spectroscopic analysis, which is carried out by shining a laser beam over the subject to be analyzed, and them measuring the energy which is “bouncing” away, this highly sophisticated scanner can measure even the smallest chemical particles, providing immediate results and maximum accuracy.

The scanner’s sensitivity can be further augmented thanks to microscopic silver particles, which amplify the signals, allowing detection of the smallest chemical traces. Apart from prevention of possible terrorist attacks, the Queen’s University team is thinking about a possible usage on the roads, since these sensors might also be used to detect presence of alcohol or drugs, improving the normal balloon test currently used.

Currently, anti drug tests carried out by roadside police is not so trustworthy and not fast enough, while thanks to this process, it could be possible to obtain immediate and absolutely reliable results, providing police with an effective tool to fight the plague of driving under the influence, and improving security on the roads.

No need to think about George Orwell and his Big Brother, but we all know that the modern technologies, which allow us to be constantly in touch with our loved ones, our work and our interests, also have some disadvantages to them.
This is because, naturally, if our peers and our colleagues are able to know where we are at any time, it is thanks to the very same communication system which puts us in touch with them.

The same information, though, may end up into the wrong hands, and electronic tracks of our phone calls might be used against us; in fact, especially if these calls contain sensitive material under a financial, political or military point of view, one should always keep in mind that he is at risk of being eavesdropped.

To protect yourselves from such risk, without giving up your freedom, and talking freely on your mobile phone, the best solution is certainly the option of using an invisible cellphone, which can not be detected by any eavesdropping devices.

The Stealth Phone works by keeping in mind a simple concept: it is not the phone number that can be intercepted; it is rather the handset you are using to talk. So, if you are under surveillance, changing the SIM card on your mobile phone will not save you from being listened to, as eavesdropping is carried out based on the IMEI number of your phone, that is, the unique number which identifies every mobile phone in the world.

Therefore, if you need to have conversations of an extremely confidential nature, changing the SIM card on your handset could prove useless, if not counterproductive, as you might end up revealing your secrets to prying ears interested in using them against you, while you erroneously believe that you are free to talk.

Stealth, thanks to a software installed on the handset, a modified version of a Siemens S65 phone, works on the IMEI number of the phone itself, by generating new numbers upon request or automatically, every day, after each phone call or whenever you want.
By doing this, intercepting your conversations would be basically impossible, as anyone who wants to listen in would not be able to use the original IMEI of your phone.

For further protection, anyway, the software installed on Stealth is also equipped with a sort of firewall, which in the unlikely event of an eavesdropping attempt, will immediately notify you with an alert on your phone display. At that point, all you have to do is change the IMEI number, and you will be able to resume talking freely.

If anyone is willing to intercept your conversations, theoretically, they should be able to get to know all IMEI numbers used by your Stealth Phone, which is impossible as the numbers are generated automatically, which means that thanks to your invisible cellphone you will be 100% protected from unauthorized listeners.

It is worth noting, though, that if the person on the other side is under surveillance and his phone is being intercepted, it will be possible to listen to your conversations as well. So if you are running an important and confidential business, a good advice for your partners would be to get themselves the same level of protection: a conversation between two Stealth Phones is the absolute maximum security, and no one will ever be able to listen to it!

Stealth Phone is marketed by Endoacustica, one of the market leaders in security and surveillance, with several years of experience at your disposal.

When we leave for holidays, but also when we go out for a weekend in the countryside, or when we just want to spend an evening out with our friends, the danger is constantly present for our homes, which might be visited by burglars or thieves, especially if we do not take the appropriate security measures.

To feel always protected without having to worry all the time for things to be under control at home, we can use Tel-Alarm, not a simple alarm system but a real spy phone, which behind the appearance of a normal home phone also hides a motion detection sensor and a very sensitive microphone.

Thanks to these characteristics, it can be used as a remote audio monitoring system. All you have to do is store your mobile phone number and activate the motion detector.
By doing this, as soon as the sensor detects a motion inside your home, the microphone will automatically be activated to listen to the sounds and noises coming from inside, while the phone will automatically call you on the preset number, thus putting you in touch with your home and making you listen in real time to what happens.

The in-built sensor can detect movements within a range of approximately 10 meters, providing optimal protection for the average city flat, and allowing you to act immediately (preferably by calling the police) if any dangerous situation for your home and belongings should arise.

Thanks to Tel-Alarm you will be able to enjoy your holidays or your leisure time, without any fear of unpleasant surprises upon your return!

In the Middle Age, punishments for thieves were certainly effective, even though the modern society rules would not certainly define them as humane: thieves had their hands cut, and if they were for example caught red-handed when trying to steal cattle, they were branded with fire, so that they would be permanently exposed as thieves, and would then think twice before committing a crime.

Nowadays, punishments are certainly less violent, but there are ways to protect yourselves from thieves and aggressors which, if on the one hand they may remind us of medieval punishments, on the other hand make the police’s job easier when it comes to catching the culprit.

For example there is X-Spray, a self-defense spray which works in a slightly different way from other pepper spray products, which are commonly used, for example, by women living in dangerous areas.

In fact, this kind of product, besides letting out a substance which hurts the eyes, also sprays foam, which will create a thick layer on the offender’s face, leaving him confused and giving you time to escape. Once the guy removes the foam from his face, here comes a big surprise!

The X-Spray foam, in fact, contains an indelible colored dye, which will remain visible for at least 3 days, helping the police in any investigation on the case, and making the thief’s life difficult, as he will have trouble hiding or explaining the reason of that strange stain on his face.

In short, no need to use medieval methods, there is no need to brand the thief, but you can certainly make him a bit less dangerous, and next time, he will think twice before attacking a woman!