Transportation

SIS ins $24 million contract for USV sensors
Spatial Integrated Systems to provide 3D imaging technology for the Navy’s Autonomous Maritime Navigation Program; Technology Solutions joins various universities to lend a hand
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Marines abandon Dragon Eye UAV for the Raven B
Although the Dragon Eye has seen its share of successes, high cost and inability to handle strong winds sent the Marines back to the drawing board; AeroVironment’s Raven B, already popular with the Army, looks to take up the mission at lower cost
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NY/NJ Port Authority offers national port security recommendations
Suggestions include minimum mandatory cargo inspection standards, a federal port and cargo policy director, and a port security user fee to offset security costs
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Infant X-rayed at LAX
Nervous mother puts child in plastic container; baby is cleared for radiation exposure; no bombs found
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Man breaks into Raleigh-Durham airport, takes onboard nap
Intoxicated suspect climbs security fence and boards a plane; discovery leads to cancelled flight; man says he “was going to take a flight”
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Northrop to supply Navy with two Fire Scout UAV helicopters
$16.2 million contract modification a good sign for this intriguing craft; based on the Schweizer Model 333 manned helicopter, Fire Scout is especially suited for reconnaissance, mine detection, and as a communications node for future warfare applications
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Dayton positions itself as a sensor center
Ohio’s Third Frontier Commission awards $28 million for the development of a sensor technology research center; business partners include Woolpert, General Dynamics, UES, YSI, and L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics
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DATEL installs Jordanian immigration control system
Jordan Electronic Gate matches passenger fingerprints against a smart card; self-monitoring system constantly updates databases; planners hope to expand program to non-Jordanian citizens
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Golden State Fence rapped for hiring illegal immigrants
Undocumented workers helped build border fence; company to pay $5 million in fines for violating earlier agreement; two executives face prison time
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RemoteReality receives $7.3 million in VC funding
Battelle Ventures and Chart Venture partners pick up the tab; company a DoD favorite for its 360-degree video analytics technology; USS Cole and USS Greenville incidents drive demand for on-board surveillance and monitoring
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Berkeley Nucleonics radiation portal handles moving vehicles with ease
Unlike its competitors, the Flexible Illicit Nuclear Detection system can detect dirty bombs in moving traffic; system adaptable for mail parcel facilities, bulk cargo, and small water-borne vessels
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Nuctech to install liquid bomb detectors ahead of China Olympics
Not coincidentally, contract goes to company headed by the son of China’s president; terms are undisclosed, but 147 airports will receive scanners normally priced at $200,000 per unit; company already controls 90 percent of the domestic scanner market
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UK scientists develop mine-spotting camera
By dividing an image into thirty-two separate snapshots the system can pick out features unobservable to humans; expanded color palette the key; Qinetiq and Selex try to move technology to the market; system has medical uses as well
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Global Hawk flight suspended after communications failure
Northrop Grumman’s flagship UAV is grounded at Beale Air Force Base after craft failed to respond to landing directions; problem is ill-timed with company’s effort to win the Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV contract; Global Hawk has a history of problems
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TSA approves GE's foot-scanner for Registered Traveler program
Planners say requiring shoe removal would waste the time the program is intended to save; Unisys takes a close look for its Reno operations, but Z-Backscatter technology may also do the trick; size of kiosks a critical issue
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