• Next-generation gear: Digital revolvers, personal rubber bullets, triple-tasers

    The Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas offers many futuristic gadgets for law enforcement and security-minded citizens; Armatix shows a hand gun with a wireless safety residing in a wrist watch: if you do not wear the wrist watch, the gun will not operate; Burris has built one of the most sophisticated rifle scopes ever seen: it has a laser rangefinder that can automatically adjust your sights to compensate for the fall of each bullet over long distances; there is much more

  • U.S.-bound ship cargo to get more scrutiny

    The goal of screening 100 percent of U.S.-bound cargo containers is may not be reached any time soon, but new cargo-reporting requirement stipulates that ocean carriers and importers submit additional details about U.S.-bound cargo twenty-four hours before it is loaded onto vessels in foreign seaports

  • Decision Sciences, Battelle to develop passive nuclear material detector

    The companies will rely on work done by Decision Sciences and Los Alamos National Laboratory on muon tomography and gamma ray detection applications; the collaborative effort will yield a multi-mode system capable of detecting nuclear materials across the complete threat spectrum, including shielded and unshielded nuclear materials

  • As more U.S. embassies come under threat, ATG Access’ bollards offer a solution

    ATG Access offers bollards to meet every security level required and has products impact-tested at 30, 40, and 50 mph with vehicles ranging from 7.5 ton up to 18 ton; the company says that the latest addition to the product family is a fixed bollard that will dead-stop a 7.5 ton truck traveling at 50 mph; what is more, the foundation of the company’s bollards is just 150 mm; with a foundation of only 20 cm (8 inches) deep — typical bollard requires 1.5 m (5 feet) — ATG’s shallow mount can be installed on pavements, on top of bridges, or in locations where other ordinary products may be impossible to install

  • Thermal-boosted infrared detection scanners address radiation, privacy concerns

    Iscon Video Imaging’s proprietary thermal-boosted infrared detection technology shows objects and clothing without any harmful radiation; the detection system creates a temperature differential between clothes and a hidden object

  • L-1 Identity Solutions’ Daugman-based iris algorithm passes test

    Rigorous tests by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) find that the accuracy of L-1’s iris recognition technology as markedly higher than prior results, and that improvements came without sacrificing speed; the evaluation also showed that L-1’s accuracy did not come at the expense of template size

  • Thermo Fisher Scientific to acquire Ahura Scientific for $145 million in cash

    Ahura Scientific’s products expand Thermo Fisher’s portfolio of portable analytical devices designed to provide customers with the ability rapidly to identify and authenticate a range of molecular and elemental substances in the field; Ahura Scientific has approximately 120 employees and generated full-year revenue of approximately $45 million in 2009; Thermo Fisher Scientific had $10.5 billion in revenues in 2008; the company has approximately 35,000 employees and serves more than 350,000 customers

  • IBM to acquire National Interest Security

    NISC’s expertise includes systems engineering, biometrics, systems integration, software development, security, analysis support, and critical infrastructure protection; the acquisition will enable IBM to expand its capabilities with federal, state, and local government entities in the areas of defense, healthcare, energy, logistics, and security

  • U.S. military supplier inscribes the weapons it sells with secret biblical codes

    A Michigan-based company with a $660 million contract to supply 800,000 sights to the Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, is inscribing the sights with quotes from the New Testament; the biblical references appear in the same type font and size as the model numbers on the company’s Advanced Combat Optical Guides, called the ACOG

  • Tyco acquires Broadview Security

    Tyco, whose subsidiary ADT is holds the No. 1 position in residential security in the United States, has acquired the holder of the No. 2 position, Broadview Security; the combined company will have about 28 percent of the American residential market; even as the acquisition leads to more concentration at the top of the market, there are still 10,000 companies vying for residential home security business; last fiscal year ADT’s North American residential and small business operation had revenues of $2.2 billion, while Broadview’s revenues were about a quarter of that

  • Stab-proof vests for soccer fans going to South Africa for the World Cup

    This summer’s soccer World Cup in South Africa is going to be poorly attended because many soccer fans have decided not to make the trip: they are not convinced they will be safe in the crime-ridden country; a London-based company hopes to capitalize on this fear by offering soccer fans stab-proof vests; the South African authorities condemn the venture

  • U.S. airlines worry about security fee hikes

    The ailing U.S. airline industry – the industry has lost some $60 billion since 2001 – is worried that the Obama administration is set to hike to security fees passengers pay on top of the price of the ticket; the do not believe they should shoulder the financial burden of added security; an airline spokesperson: “The airlines are not under attack; the country is under attack”

  • Biometric travel luggage for secure, stylish travel

    The biometric business case offers travelers a high level of security for their luggage; the case can be opened only if the built-in scanner recognizes the fingerprints of the individual trying to open it; for family luggage, the fingerprints of several family members may be programmed into the scanner’s memory

  • India awards Implant Sciences $6 million contract for sniffer

    India will deploy the company’s explosive detector – the Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 – for protection of military and civilian facilities; the sniffer comes with a large substance library which includes not only standard military and commercial explosives, but also a wide variety of improvised and homemade explosives (IEDs and HMEs)

  • Quake-proofing U.S. buildings

    An Indian civil engineer has invented a sleeved column braces which help buildings withstand earthquakes; the sturdy brace apparatus surrounds a core of high-performance steel, but is spaced from the sides of the core; the sleeve thus absorbs and dissipates energy, but does not buckle under pressure; several large buildings in California, built in the last few years, have adopted the technology