Hasta La Gadget!

Watch out, kids, because surveillance drones are about to get an upgrade. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have developed what’s called the Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS), and it’s said to be the most advanced surveillance system in the sky with a price tag of $18.5 million for the program.

The ARGUS camera system can be attached to the main pod of a drone, and once in action, the camera can capture images at 20,000 feet with a resolution of 1.8 gigapixels — so high-res in fact, that you can see what color shirt a pedestrian is wearing. It can’t quite make out facial features, but it’s able to spot a six-inch object within a 10-mile radius.

While DARPA doesn’t want to give anything away, they at least say that the imaging system consists of a collection of 368 sensors that are the same found in modern smartphones, but it’s the processing power that really makes the ARGUS stand out. The camera can also stream around 1 million terabytes of video, which is around 5,000 hours of HD footage per day.

Whether the ARGUS is currently deployed right now is unknown, and we can’t see what the camera looks like either. Overall, DARPA is keeping quiet on any future implementations of the imaging system, and they’re not telling us exactly how they can stream an exabyte of video per day. There’s got to be some crazy processing power on board, for which we know nothing about at this point.

[via ExtremeTech]

DARPA unveils 1.8-gigapixel drone camera, can target hostiles at 20,000 feet is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In light of the drones used to prowl the skies while snooping on the everyday person, Adam Harvey has designed a Stealth Wear hoodie that serves as a type of invisibility cloak against the spying equipment. Harvey hails from New York, and is no stranger in the world of surveillance-thwarting apparel. Some of the artist’s other items in this category include CVDazzle, makeup that foils face-recognition applications.

The Stealth Wear hoodie functions in a simple manner — by blocking thermal radiation, which is how the drones “see.” Without being able to sense the body heat, the drone will only see the parts of the body not concealed by the hoodie: face, hands, and legs, for example. The Steal Wear is expensive to produce, and cannot be purchased from an ordinary store, although it is reported that the item will be available for purchase.

In addition to the hoodie, Harvey has also created a scarf that works in a similar manner, making one’s neck and face seem black to a drone. For those concerned about the health effects of the x-ray machines in airports, he has also created a t-shirt with a design said to safeguard the wearer’s heart from radiation. Finally, he has also produced a cell phone pouch to block radio signals and prevent tracking.

Starting today, Harvey is showing off his Stealth Wear items at an exhibition with Primitive London, which is set to run until the 31st. The items showcased were made with the help of designer Johanna Bloomfield, and are demonstrated during the exhibit with real-world tests used to reveal the “process behind each technology and counter technology.” Says Harvey, these items are a way to explore the realm of privacy and surveillance.

[via Discovery]

Stealth Wear hoodie is an invisibility cloak to drones is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Modern security cameras are rather limited: if an incident doesn’t happen within a pre-defined field of vision, a company won’t know what’s happening until it’s too late. Secom is giving anxious offices a rare solution in what’s supposedly the first airborne drone for private security. Its customized Ascending Technologies quadrotor can take to the air if there’s a break-in and record what’s happening, even in areas that would normally represent blind spots. The automaton can also track moving subjects with a laser sensor and knows enough to keep its distance. Japanese firms wanting Secom’s robot sentry will have to wait until after April 2014, when they can rent one at about ¥5,000 ($58) per month; the investment could be worthwhile just to freak out a few would-be burglars.

Filed under: Robots

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Via: Phys.org

Source: Secom (translated)

The term “unmanned aerial drone” might strike a bit of fear into your heart when you see the live tracking map of the USA that’s been made available this week by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, but not to worry – not all of them are flying overhead right this minute. Instead this is a map that’s the result of the EEF’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that covers the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)’s full knowledge of unmanned flights across the United States and what you’re looking at is a tracking of project licenses rather than actually flying objects. That said, this map is exciting in its coverage for our greater understanding of unmanned drone flight projects as initiated by state and local law agencies, universities, and US Military operations.

The newest information here comes from – for the first time, mind you – the Air Force, Marine Corps, and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). These three Military branches have for the first time had their records shown to the public in all cases save for one. That one case is if these flights are only taking place inside their own “restricted airspace” – over their own military bases. Click the map below to see the live map via the EEF and Google Maps.

Across this map you’re going to be able to see drones of many types, with the Air Force testing cute little hand-launched Raven, Puma, and Wasp drones from Aerovironment on the short end. On the larger end you’ll find the scary types of drones, those being the Predator and Reaper drones you may have heard of flying missions overseas in live warzones.

Some of the lighter uses of drones you’ll be finding across the USA are straight from places like the University of Michigan where a “Flying Fish” drone can be found. This drone is made to float over open water for human tracking and is able to reposition itself through flight when it’s moved too far away from its original and intended spot. The U of Michigan also has a drone made to study “persistent solar-powered flight” and goes by the name YellowTale.

Have a peek up north in Minnesota and you’ll find two basic extremes, one of them being a flight that’s been cancelled due to “unacceptable risk” to the National Airspace System. The other you’ll find right near the border with North Dakota and is set for Customs & Border Protection – that one lists a Predator drone and an unknown drone, with the FAA not being especially clear on where the drones are being flown.

Keep your eye on the map and let us know if you find anything interesting as more information is added in the future!

[via The Verge]

Live USA Map of Unmanned Drones released by EEF is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Most of the drone-related news these days may focus on military or police use, but those are far from the only applications for the unmanned aerial vehicles. Case in point: the World Wildlife Fund, which has now received a $5 million grant from Google’s Global Impact Awards program to fund UAVs designed to monitor endangered species. Details on the drones themselves remain light, but the WWF says they’ll be used to detect poachers and tagged animals on the ground, and then relay that information to a command center and mobile law enforcement units. What’s more, while that initial funding will only provide something of a testbed, the WWF says it’s focusing on “easily-replicable technologies,” with its ultimate goal being to create an “efficient, effective network that can be adopted globally.”

[Image credit: WWF]

Filed under: Misc, Google

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Via: BBC News

Source: WWF