Feral Jundi

Friday, May 4, 2012

Technology: Thermal Matrix ACT 2

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 2:14 PM

Wow, this is some cool technology. Thermal cameras are not new, but it’s still technology that is being played around with by various vendors and modified to be useful. I like this system because it gives you the ability to scan folks from a distance and it is very sensitive and tuned in for this specific task of finding things on people. That is great for Entry Control Points in war zones, where doing a preliminary screen of individuals before they enter your search area or holding area is essential.

I mentioned the Taliban’s efforts to attack contractors and others during this spring offensive, and tools like this could help to see what guys are hiding under their clothes. Things like pistols in their shoes or suicide vests/weapons could be detected from a distance with this camera system. I emphasize ‘from a distance’, because this gives you more time for your OODA.

You could also use this to scan high traffic areas of cities, and identify those locals that are carrying weapons on their person. Once you find someone like that, and they are not soldiers or police, then that might be a person to watch and see where they go.

If you would like to investigate this system and see what it is all about, here is a link. –Matt

 

 

ACT
ACT System by Thermal MatrixThe ACT (Access Counter IED Technology) System by Thermal Matrix is a concealed object threat detection system, using sensors combined with sophisticated computer technology.

The system electronically analyzes situations and identifies multiple threats including explosives, concealed guns, knives and other weapons. In addition, ACT detects threats a metal detector cannot reveal. They include plastic, liquid, and gel explosives, weapons made with non-ferrous metals, and contraband including illegal drugs.

Because it is portable and easy to operate, the ACT System is ideal for both commercial applications as well as domestic law enforcement security. The system is lightweight, and only requires a single operator. The hardware consists of a thermal sensor mounted on a tripod, connected to a laptop computer. Altogether it weighs less than 20 pounds, and can be set-up and operational within 15 minutes
The ACT System is excellent for use in a number of situations, including: ACT System uses for Law Enforcement

Event Security

Check Points

Entry Control

Perimeter Security

Crowd Surveillance

Loss Prevention/Theft

The heart of the ACT System is exclusive Thermal Matrix software, which uses advanced algorithms to analyze the thermal signature of a scene. The software automatically detects subjects and isolates them from the background. Subjects are then tracked using target recognition software. Advanced filtering enhances the image of the subject, allowing for greater detection by the operator.

The software also employs touch-screen, Graphical User Interface (GUI) controls, so the operator can analyze a scene just like using a DVD player. The operator can easily pause, rewind, zoom-in, and enhance the picture using multiple filter

Much like a digital video recorder (DVR), the computer continuously records the most recent 10 minutes of every scene. When the operator finds something suspicious, one push of a button will automatically archive that scene on the hard drive.

The ACT System is the most advanced, portable, easy-to-use concealed object detection system in the security industry.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Cool Stuff: A Swarm Of Nano Quadrotors

Filed under: Aviation,Cool Stuff,Technology — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 3:39 AM

Now imagine each one of these quadrotors armed with a small explosive payload? Maybe even use their larger cousins that we saw being used in Libya. (imagine EFP’s mounted to the belly of a larger quadrotor?) Then use them ‘kamakazee style’ for a massive swarm attack or to support an ambush. In other words, it is research like this that is quickly making this stuff a reality. –Matt

 

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Technology: Miniature Aerostats-The MAKO Affordable Stationary Aerial Platform

Filed under: PMC 2.0,Technology — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 5:17 PM

Sofcoast is developing a revolutionary new product category called “Affordable Stationary Aerial Platforms” (ASAP). This product category is designed to be a coverage capability that represents a dramatic departure from the typical aerostat lifting systems on the market today and a product category that we believe can and will bring lightweight, affordable, rapid and mobile “on-demand” data, voice and imagery aerial coverage systems to the masses.

Now this is some interesting kit. This company called SOF Coast has created a miniature aerostat or helium filled mini-blimp equipped with a wireless camera. What is neat with this thing is that it is man portable, yet gives a small outpost the ability to have it’s own aerostat surveillance capability for night and day, and a repeater for radios. Something that large FOBs enjoy, but not so much for the smaller sites, combat outposts, and patrol bases.

The other thing that I thought that was cool, is that it is smart phone capable. Meaning you could watch the feeds through a smart phone like an iPhone. So that would give everyone of that camp, that has a link to that feed, the ability to see what the aerostat sees. My hope and concern is that this feed can be encrypted so that no one else can see what the aerostat sees. Here is a run down on what it can do:

-Portability – It is man-packable while wearing standard combat equipment.
-A high resolution image and full motion video surveillance camera for day/night operations.
-Communications repeater to increase dismounted patrol range and increase situational awareness.

Also, I guess the Army is looking at these things and will be playing around with them. That’s great and they might find some utility with such a tool. It will definitely add to the ‘Observe’ portion of their OODA. –Matt

 

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Technology: Hackers Can Set Your HP Printer On Fire, Researchers Demonstrate

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 1:46 PM

A big thanks to Matt for sending me this one. So you are probably wondering why I am interested in this stuff?  Pretty much because if someone can create a fire remotely, that falls under the category of cyber crime and/or cyber warfare.

But it can also fall under the category of cyber assassination, which is something I have written about in the past. The ability to remotely and physically attack someone else, all online and anonymously, is quite the thing. Stuff like this could be used to start fires in homes while people are sleeping, or starting fires in office buildings. The idea being, using fire as a weapon.

It also brings up another thought. With computers and smart phones, are there hacks that could cause those devices to catch fire? Or what about electric vehicles with wireless computer capabilities, that have large amounts of lithium batteries in them? Chevy’s Volt, a battery powered electric car, recently had some issues with catching on fire. If you could remotely turn an electric car into a  fire ball, that too could be a weapon.

There is no word yet if an actual attack has ever occurred using this method, but it is something to keep an eye on. I am sure HP will come up with a counter to this hack, or try to refute what these guys did. Check it out. –Matt

 

Hackers Can Set Your HP Printer On Fire, Researchers Demonstrate
Nov 29, 2011
HP is investigating a claim that essentially any LaserJet the company made before 2009 — about 100 million have been sold since 1984 — could be remotely instructed to catch fire, according to a report on MSNBC.com.
Researchers at Columbia University, under a series of government and industry grants, have shown that the printers can be remotely controlled by hackers over the Internet, allowing them to not only steal information but even cause physical damage.
In one demonstration, Columbia professor Salvatore Stolfo and colleague Ang Cui showed how a hijacked system could be sent commands that would overheat the printer’s fuser, causing the paper to brown, smoke, and sometimes even catch fire.

(more…)

Friday, November 25, 2011

Technology: Palantir

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 3:58 PM

These deals have turned the company into one of the quietest success stories in Silicon Valley—it’s on track to hit $250 million in sales this year—and a candidate for an initial public offering. Palantir has been used to find suspects in a case involving the murder of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent, and to uncover bombing networks in Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. “It’s like plugging into the Matrix,” says a Special Forces member stationed in Afghanistan who requested anonymity out of security concerns. “The first time I saw it, I was like, ‘Holy crap. Holy crap. Holy crap.’ ”

Thanks to Paul for enlightening me about Palantir. This is some very cool technology and I thought I would share this with the rest of the readership. This thing is also drawing a lot of interest from many sectors, and not just government.

What I like about it is it’s ability to process all of this data that is floating around out there.  Or process data that groups have compiled, and help them to make sense of it all or find problems/deficiencies.

What I thought was interesting about the company itself, is it’s influences and how it innovates. The name Palantir comes from the movie Lord of the Rings, and the crystal ball used in the movie was called a Palantir. So this is a technology company with a ‘middle-earth’ theme. lol

But the other cool thing is how they find talent.  Here is a quote:

Palantir has been doubling headcount every year to keep up with business. To get a job at the company, an applicant must pass a gauntlet of brain teasers. An example: You have 25 horses and can race them in heats of 5. You know the order the horses finished in, but not their times. How many heats are necessary to find the fastest? First and second? First, second, and third? (Answers: six, seven, and seven.) If candidates are able to prove themselves as what Karp calls “a software artist,” they’re hired. The company gives new arrivals some reading material, including a guide to improvisational acting, a lecture by the entrepreneur Steve Blank on Silicon Valley’s secret history with the military, and the book The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. They’re also rewarded with a low wage by Silicon Valley standards: Palantir caps salaries at $127,000.

Improvisational acting?  lol Now I am intrigued by that, and would be curious as to why this is a needed skill. Could it be that improvisational acting is a ‘building snowmobiles’ activity, where a person has to be creative on the fly?  A test of a person’s OODA and their ability to react off of another person?

Well, definitely check this one out. I also think this would be a fantastic investment if it ever became an IPO. –Matt

 

 

Palantir, the War on Terror’s Secret Weapon
November 22, 2011
A Silicon Valley startup that collates threats has quietly become indispensable to the U.S. intelligence community
By Ashlee Vance and Brad Stone
In October, a foreign national named Mike Fikri purchased a one-way plane ticket from Cairo to Miami, where he rented a condo. Over the previous few weeks, he’d made a number of large withdrawals from a Russian bank account and placed repeated calls to a few people in Syria. More recently, he rented a truck, drove to Orlando, and visited Walt Disney World by himself. As numerous security videos indicate, he did not frolic at the happiest place on earth. He spent his day taking pictures of crowded plazas and gate areas.

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