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iRobot shares suffer, but future looks bright
Company predicts lower-than-expected earnings in 2007; Roomba and PackBot make an unlikely kinship; coordinating networks of PackBots the next big challenge as Helen Grenier looks to develop packs of surveillance droids
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Europeans plan to monitor airline passengers in flight
System marries video and audio analytics technology to individual passenger profiles in order to preempt terrorist activity; microphones pick up Koranic recitations while tiny cameras look for signs of nervousness
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UAVs struggle to access civilian airspace
Civilian air authorities demand collision-avoidance systems before permitting flight; high rates of operator error worry other pilots; American and European authorities meet to develop technical standards for such a system; industry mourns NASA’s Access Five program
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L-3 announces new thermal imaging camera for rescuers
Thermal-Eye 5000xp offers a 400 percent increase in pixels and twice the field of view as the previous model; camera is designed for emergency rescue, law enforcement, and perimeter security
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Verint beats out NICE to buy Witness Systems
Deal comes as Verint itself is an acquisition target by IBM; $950 million cash offer wins out; company poised to hold its own in the military and civilian data analytics markets
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Iran announces deployment of new UAV fleet
Unverified claims come as Iran prepares for a showdown with the United States; Iran says new drone cannot be detected by radar; new model may be based on the Ababil first seen in 1997
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Boeing wins $11 million UUV refurbishment and testing contract
Industry heavyweight will give the AN/BLQ-11 Long-term Mine Reconnaissance System a thorough going-over; system capable of twelve hours of autonomous reconnaissance before docking itself through the torpedo tube; testing to begin at Puget Sound and Bahamas
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Sony acquires IPIX's intellectual property for $3.6 million
Bankruptcy proceedings offer a ripe opportunity for Sony just as it launches its own video analytics suite; IPIX’s gigapixel camera a tasty morsel; Steve Hunt provides an analysis of Sony’s future success and IPIX’s past failures
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NICE Systems selected for D.C. airport surveillance overhaul
Israeli company recently won contracts to protect Beijing Olympics, Eiffel Tower, and New York City public transit; Reagan National Airport gets a makeover; video surveillance market marches on
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Scotland confronts of a plague of CCTV vandalism
Authorities consider installing cameras to watch the cameras; seven have been destroyed in recent years, some by arson; cost and feasability of plan remain uncertain
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Russian UAV industry lags behind
Country has not a single native model in series production; government buracracy a major hurdle, but so too is a seeming lack of interest from both scientists and generals; government announces its first purchase from a Russian firm
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Northrop and EADS received $559 German UAV contract
EuroHawk GmbH strikes a major deal in the European UAV market after years of effort; German Ministry of Defence impressed with EADS signals intelligence capability; delivery scheduled for 2010
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Magal wins a $6 million contract to secure Israeli army bases
Deal follows recent successes with U.S. water authorities, banks concerned about underground tunnelling, and a Scottish hospital; company will install perimeter detection and command and control systems
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U.K. researchers aid MAV development by solving "bumble-bee paradox"
Due to their small size, micro air vehicles struggle to attain sufficient lift; Bath University scientists discover a seventy-year old secret as to how bees manage to get off the ground; flexible insect-like wings might help MAVs realize full potential
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The long view
How DHS Laid the Groundwork for More Intelligence Abuse
I&A, the lead intelligence unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) —long plagued by politicized targeting, permissive rules, and a toxic culture —has undergone a transformation over the last two years. Spencer Reynolds writes that this effort falls short. “Ultimately, Congress must rein in I&A,” he adds.