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Running robots for hard-to-reach places
A large fraction of the Earth’s surface remains inaccessible to conventional wheeled or tracked vehicles, while animals and humans traverse such terrain with ease and elegance; scientists are working to develop search-and-rescue robots which emulate animal or human walking, thus making them more capable of saving people in hard-to-reach places
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Helicopters emulate humpback whales to become more maneuverable
Humpback whales are renowned for their great speed and acrobatic skills; they achieve both because of their unusually large pectoral fins, which have characteristic bumps along the front edge; researcher say that placing similar bumps on helicopter rotor blades (the technical term is “leading-edge vortex generators”) will increase the speed and maneuverability of helicopters
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Washington to test police gun safety equipment
Lawmakers in Washington are currently debating legislation that would require police departments to thoroughly test the gun locks and safes they issue to law enforcement officers for use in their homes
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Recommended emergency response technology from Seattle’s CTO
Following the rare four-day snowstorm that left Seattle, Washington blanketed in snow, Bill Schrier, the city’s chief technology officer, weighed in on the city’s response and offered tips on how to better implement technology in the future
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Self-guided bullet can hit target a mile away
Researchers have designed a self-guided bullet; the dart-like, self-guided bullet for small-caliber, smooth-bore firearms that hit laser-designated targets at distances of more than a mile
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Smiths Detection unveils new portable chemical detector
Earlier this month Smiths Detection unveiled its latest chemical detector, a portable device that combines high speed, high-resolution gas chromatography and a miniaturized toroidal ion trap mass spectrometer
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55 dog teams to sniff out explosives at Olympics
At the upcoming London Olympic Games, more than 150 bomb-sniffing dogs will be on hand to detect any potential threats
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NYPD developing concealed gun detecting tech
The New York Police Department (NYPD) is currently at work on a device that can detect if a person is carrying a concealed firearm from as far as eighty-two feet away
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Indianapolis emergency response center opens days before Super Bowl
With only a few days left until Super Bowl XLVI, which will be held in Indianapolis this year, security officials there unveiled a new emergency coordination center on Wednesday
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N.J. city augments surveillance cameras with spotlights
Over the next three months, the East Orange police department will connect high-powered spotlights to their surveillance camera system, so that when camera operators spot suspicious activity they can turn on the bright lights of justice and deter would be criminals
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First responders could be zipping through skies within two years
Glenn Martin, the inventor of the Martin Jetpack, the world’s first commercially available jetpack, recently spoke with Homeland Security NewsWire’s executive editor Eugene K. Chow; in their interview Martin discusses the technical challenges of developing a viable jetpack, its uses in emergency response, and when we can expect to see civilians zipping through the skies
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Smart911 technology improves 9-1-1- response
Municipalities improve 9-1-1 response with Smart911; the technology allows individuals to use a Web site to enter emergency-relevant information they want emergency personnel answering a 9-1-1 call to have, including children’s photos, medical conditions, disabilities, home addresses of cellphone callers, or other rescue-related information
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GPS trackers help catch copper thieves
With thieves continuing to steal copper wiring and wreaking havoc on critical infrastructure systems across the United States, some security officials have taken to installing GPS tracking devices in copper wire to put an end to the growing problem
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Supreme Court rules against GPS tracking
On Monday, in a landmark case, the Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement agencies needed a judge’s approval before using GPS technology to track a suspect
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High-tech developments help end high-speed pursuits safely
New technological developments are helping police officers end high-speed pursuits without jeopardizing the safety of themselves or the suspect
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The long view
AI-Controlled Fighter Jets May Be Closer Than We Think — and Would Change the Face of Warfare
Could we be on the verge of an era where fighter jets take flight without pilots – and are controlled by artificial intelligence (AI)? US R Adm Michael Donnelly recently said that an upcoming combat jet could be the navy’s last one with a pilot in the cockpit.
What We’ve Learned from Survivors of the Atomic Bombs
Q&A with Dr. Preetha Rajaraman, New Vice Chair for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
Need for National Information Clearinghouse for Cybercrime Data, Categorization of Cybercrimes: Report
There is an acute need for the U.S. to address its lack of overall governance and coordination of cybercrime statistics. A new report recommends that relevant federal agencies create or designate a national information clearinghouse to draw information from multiple sources of cybercrime data and establish connections to assist in criminal investigations.
Autonomous Weapon Systems: No Human-in-the-Loop Required, and Other Myths Dispelled
“The United States has a strong policy on autonomy in weapon systems that simultaneously enables their development and deployment and ensures they could be used in an effective manner, meaning the systems work as intended, with the same minimal risk of accidents or errors that all weapon systems have,” Michael Horowitz writes.
Twenty-One Things That Are True in Los Angeles
To understand the dangers inherent in deploying the California National Guard – over the strenuous objections of the California governor – and active-duty Marines to deal with anti-ICE protesters, we should remind ourselves of a few elementary truths, writes Benjamin Wittes. Among these truths: “Not all lawful exercises of authority are wise, prudent, or smart”; “Not all crimes require a federal response”; “Avoiding tragic and unnecessary confrontations is generally desirable”; and “It is thus unwise, imprudent, and stupid to take actions for performative reasons that one might reasonably anticipate would increase the risks of such confrontations.”
Luigi Mangione and the Making of a ‘Terrorist’
Discretion is crucial to the American tradition of criminal law, Jacob Ware and Ania Zolyniak write, noting that “lawmakers enact broader statutes to empower prosecutors to pursue justice while entrusting that they will stay within the confines of their authority and screen out the inevitable “absurd” cases that may arise.” Discretion is also vital to maintaining the legitimacy of the legal system. In the prosecution’s case against Luigi Mangione, they charge, “That discretion was abused.”