Transportation

Illinois scientists use sensors to mimic fish navigation system
Micro-fabricated flow sensors detect the hydrodynamic wake formed by the craft’s propeller; applications in the UUV and submarine markets; system supplements sonar
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Air Force closes all seven battle labs
With budget pressures mounting, Air Force can no longer afford the investment; Air Force Space Battlelab, Command and Control Battlelab, and Air Warfare Battlelab among those receiving the axe
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GVI Security Systems wins Guatamalan border security contract
Despite a history of disappointing earnings, Samsung subsidiary sees strength in the Latin American video surveillance market; deal follow another with a Puerto Rican casino
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Israeli students develop UAV on UAV refueling algorithm
Technicians at Technion use a camera attached to the end of a refueling pipe to calculate docking movement; in-air refueling a must if UAVs are to take on long-haul tasks
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CommerceGuard deployed to Port of Portland
Installation is first on the west coast; success follows introduction of version 3.0 of this popular container security system and sale of minorty share to Samsung
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DHS to offer $1-2 million in tunnel-sensing technology
Concerned about illegal immigration, government asks private sector for a solution; sensors, IT, and geospatial imaging to play a role; temperature differences between soil within the tunnel and without may be a key indicator
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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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DOD issues final RFID rules
Generation One tags to be permitted through 1 March; write-once, read-many Generation Two tags required thereafter; DoD rejects calls to eliminate RFID requirements for inexpensive shipments
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Munich airport deploys license plate recognition system
GeoVision wins the conract to improve the airport’s parking control system; license plates are scanned on entrance and exit, thereby obviating the need for tickets and cutting down on personnel; frequent fliers rejoice
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India dumps airport Backscatter machine
Revealing images upset socially conservative security guards; cultural values often underappreciated by security officials
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TSA finds most railroad security measures inadequate
$7 million study finds advanced explosives and screening methods suffer high false positive rates; yet traditional methods such as X-rays and canines suffer from poor economies of scale; study may upset congressional plans to boost railroad security spending
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GAO hammers US-VISIT program
Government Accountability Office criticizes DHS for failing to strengthen exit procedures at land crossings, inability to resolve redundancies with WHTI and other programs; Congress dinged for oversight failures
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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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Florida police challenge FAA over UAV regulatory authority
Palm Bay attempts to launch a Cyberbug to help with patrols, but FAA and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association object; police say FAA lacks authority to regulate what they call a model airplane; Cyber Defense Systems waits for a ruling
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IED conference scheduled for April
Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization to hold a three-day conference in Leesburg, Virginia; event open to industry and academia, but attendees must possess secret clearances; Ike Skelton to give the keynote address
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