You Are Browsing ‘Spy Gear’ Category

This has to be one of the best autonomous drones I have seen in a while.  Not only is it available for purchase today… it is incredibly well thought out.  The senseFly eBee UAV can fly pre-programmed flight path or can be flown by remote control.  The main purpose of the eBee is to create 2D/3D aerial maps.  Perfect for managing crops, wildlife, development, etc…

The senseFly eBee is made of a foam body, has detachable wings, a 16-megapixel camera, is hand launch-able, and comes with software (eMotion 2) that allows you to set the flight route or take over control.  Once the eBee has done its UAV flight it can return to home base and land all by itself.

The eBee and its gear fit in a hard case that is meets the International Air Transport Associate guidelines for carry on.  See, they thought of everything.  The only bummer is the price tag at around $12,000.  Feel free to send donations my way .

Video and more details after the break.

Regardless of how you feel about our governments massive power grab and warrantless spying on US citizens… this technology is pretty cool.  This tiny computer makes it much tougher for the NSA to spy on its users.  It starts off as a tiny Raspberry Pi computer and adds a USB WiFi adapter for TOR access.  You can buy this DIY kit with everything you need for just $95 here.

After it’s built, using it is easy-as-pie. First, plug the Ethernet cable into any Internet provider in your home, work, hotel or conference/event. Next, power up the Pi with the micro USB cable to your laptop or to the wall adapter. The Pi will boot up and create a new secure wireless access point called Onion Pi. Connecting to that access point will automatically route any web browsing from your computer through the anonymizing Tor network.

The video (after the break) shows a mind-controlled quadcopter being flown through an obstacle course of balloon rings.  This impressive feet was created at the University of Minnesota by engineering professor Bin He.  The intent isn’t to launch a mind-controlled drone attack… but instead to help disabled people to control things like wheelchairs and/or mechanical limbs.

It is hard to believe that a guy, Brad Edelman, with a funny helmet on can fly a RC Quadcopter with just his thoughts.  Cool and scary at the same time. 

In what looks like just a fairly decent watch, you get a Bluetooth connection to your cellphone with vibrating alert for incoming calls and caller ID with the name/number displayed.  I have no idea if it works well or not, but I like the idea.  They also have a brief mention in the product title about SMS.  This particular caller id watch will set you back about $80.

Another new day, another new way to used drones.  Seems like all of those sci-fi movies of the past are coming true.  Soon your every move will be recorded from drones that you can’t see or hear flying above.

In this case, a German railway network, Deutsche Bahn, is deploying drones to catch people trying to graffiti on their trains.  In 2012 alone their trains were defaced about 14,000 times, costing a whopping $9.8 million dollars to repair.  The company will start using the graffiti hunting drones in their larger depots.  Since most graffiti takes place at nights when it is darker and quieter… the drones are nearly silent and have infrared cameras.  No surprise that Deutsche Bahn will be seeking criminal prosecution.  These drones can fly at altitudes of 492 feet for 80-minutes at a time with a top speed of 33-mph.

Before I get right into my review of the BlackVue DR500GW-HD Vehicle Video Recorder I think it is important to add a bit of backstory about my search for the best car dvr/camera.  I have been trying to find the “perfect” vehicle video recorder for quite some time and have tested a myriad of products.  Most of the vehicle cameras with built-in DVR are manufactured in China.  This alone shouldn’t be a bad thing, but for some reason it is.  Of the 10+ car cameras I have tested, all of them were made in China.  All of these Chinese units had some combination of subpar manuals, cheap build quality, low video quality (don’t let the use of the term “HD” fool you), unacceptable night time viewing, etc…

So, when I found the BlackVue DR500GW-HD (made in South Korea) I was excited but skeptical.  While I believe that products made in South Korea are higher quality than Chinese products, I had seen so many bad vehicle video recorders and wondered if I would ever find a good unit.  Read on for my DR500GW-HD Review.

Ahhh, our future is going to be a bit scarier with tiny drones like these quickly becoming a reality.  A group of researchers at Harvard have created the RoboBee which just might be the world’s smallest aerial drone.  So small in fact that it doesn’t appear to have its own power source and no cameras… yet.

The RoboBee Aerial Drone has two membrane style wings that flap at 120 times per second.  This lightweight aerial drone can hover an fly at low speeds.  While tiny drones like this can be used for good things like rescue operations, building/bridge inspections, etc… it is hard not to imagine a world with spy drones everywhere.  Bummer.  Video of the RoboBee after the break.