Optical fibers? Being able to see without being seen is one of mankind’s great dreams, and the principle on which our work in the information gathering and surveillance field is based; this work is of course supported by technology, and when it comes to seeing without being noticed, even a thick wall is no obstacle if the right devices are on our side.
For example, optical fiber technology is greatly useful in this respect, because they have great capabilities within a space that can be as thin and long as a hair, but much more resistant; thanks to these capabilities, devices such as, for example, a fiberscope, can be used as if they were hidden cameras, by simply digging a hole and squeezing its tiny cable (just 5mm wide) inside it.
At one end of the cable, the fiberscope has a miniature viewer, which allows its user to examine an environment without being noticed, as well as using the fiberscope to inspect hidden corners such as home pipes or the engine of a car.
What are other optical fiber technology devices used in surveillance?
Other optical fibre devices which can find applications in the surveillance field are, for examples, fiberscopes which allow you to see through a ceiling thanks to their cable which is just 2.5 mm thin, or small monoculars which, if placed on the peephole of a door, can show you what is going on behind the door and inside the apartment.
This kind of device is very useful in intelligence gathering and surveillance, for example when law enforcement agents are chasing a suspect who takes a room in a hotel. In this case, they will just have to take a room next to his, plug a hole in the wall (of course while he is away!) and place the fiberscope inside it, if possible connecting it to a micro digital video recorder in order to store any footage captured and use it as evidence. Simple, huh?