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Sanswire has lofty plans for airship
The Florida company has seen its ups and downs, but it now has a joint venture with TAO Technologies of Germany to develop and manufacture airships for use in war zones, border security, and for commercial purposes
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Throwable robots for U.S. Navy SEALs
The U.S. military has ordered 150 Recon Scout devices (at a cost of $9,000 each) for the special forces; the beer can-sized robot is equipped with infrared night sight video; the robot is tough enough to be thrown through a door or window, dropped down a chimney, etc. before being driven about to see what it can see
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CCTVs do not help U.K. cut crime
The United Kingdom has around four million CCTVs installed (one camera for every fourteen people); it takes 1,000 CCTV cameras to solve a single crime, London’s Metropolitan Police has admitted
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As the Pentagon relies more heavily on UAVs, UAV makers benefit
The Pentagon’s fiscal 2010 includes approximately $3.5 billion for unmanned aerial vehicles
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Sweden builds a new Baltic Sea surveillance system
After the mysterious disappearing of a Maltese-flagged cargo ship with a Russian crew in Swedish waters, Sweden decides to deploy a maritime surveillance system which will become operational in October
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Tracking people who left their bags in public buildings
SUBITO (Surveillance of Unattended Baggage and the Identification and Tracking of the Owner) program will be able to identify specific shapes and movements that allow an individual and their baggage to be tracked over time
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Robotic German sperm dirigible ready to take off
German engineers are ready to test a 111-foot long, tadpole-esque “segmented” drone airship; as was the case with the famous Graf Zeppelin airship liner of the 1930s, only the front compartment of the bendy airship contains helium for buoyancy’ the remaining back cells contain the fuel for the craft’s engine
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NATO deploys airship to Afghanistan
NATO forces in Afghanistan deploy an airship to support security efforts in the war-torn country; the airship hovers several hundred feet above ground, using sensors to detect IEDs
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Mississippi company develops elevated acoustic sensor
Acoustic sensors are typically located on the ground; a Mississippi company developed an elevated acoustic sensor that can be mounted on a balloon; the sensor can be combined with a camera to create a visual and auditory sensor
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Tiny Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) to help in in-door surveillance
California company develops tiny UAV (10 gram, a 7.5-centimeter wingspan) that hovers and climbs with flapping wings; the NAV can explore caves and other hiding places, relaying GPS data and images to base
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Competition for U.S. Marines' supply robocopter down to two
The U.S. Marines are looking for unmanned supply helicopters that can deliver ten tons of supplies across distances of 150 miles in 24 hours; they also have to be able to hover at high altitudes (say, up in the Hindu Kush mountains)
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"Point-and-toss" UAV in field demonstration
Florida-based IATech used the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s biannual field demonstration to show its point-and-toss UAV: the unit measures 3 feet across and is thrown like a paper airplane; it costs only about $25,000
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DA-42 UAV tested
Israeli Aeronautics Defense Systems tests new UAV; the system can stay airborne for up to 28 hours with a 900-pound payload
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China says it has installed 2.75 million CCTVs since 2003
Government plans to expand the surveillance system into the largely neglected countryside, and marry it to a face recognition database
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U.K. authorities made more than 500,000 surveillance requests last year
U.K. police, councils, and the intelligence services made about 1,500 surveillance requests every day last year; this is the annual equivalent to one in every 78 people being targeted
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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.