Long distance listening, without being noticed

How many times have we seen two people, whether friends or perfect strangers, engaged in a conversation, at a distance from which we could not hear what they were saying, and wanted to be able to hear it without being exposed? Of course, those who have found themselves in these situations, have mostly been left with nothing and could not listen.

But now, thanks to audio technology, long distance listening of conversations of your neighbors, colleagues, or family members, or even collecting evidence of industrial espionage or of a possible marital infidelity, has become much easier, especially if you use a directional microphone or a laser microphone.

Through the use of microphones of this kind, with their high sensitivity features and characteristics, it is possible to listen to conversations within a range between about ten meters and more than a mile! By hiding in a car behind a fence, and pointing the microphone in its direction, you can easily listen to what the people behind it are talking about.

Actually, you can even easily hear what goes on behind a closed window, thanks to a directional laser microphone. In fact, by pointing the invisible laser beam on a window, the beam will read the vibrations on the glass caused by voices inside the room behind the closed window, and transmit them to a decoder located at a safe distance, which reads them, transforming vibrations into human voice.

Be it to listen to your neighbors or to gather evidence against dangerous criminals, from a distance of a few meters up to more than one kilometer, a highly sensitive directional microphone allows you to listen to everything!

To find out in detail how long range microphones are working, and to discover the endless possibilities of application, you can visit the Endoacustica website and contact our experts for personalized advice.

The first plane with no flaps is an unmanned plane

BAE Systems has just made history of aviation, with the first ever flight of an aircraft not fitted with flaps on its wings. In fact, this unmanned aircraft, or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), called DEMON, instead of flaps and ailerons, resorts to the use of controlled air jets to move upward or downward while in the air.

Normally, the wings of a conventional aircraft are equipped with moving parts (the flaps) in the back, which are opened and extended backwards and downwards during takeoff and landing. This changes the shape of the wing, and air must follow a different path to travel around the wing itself, creating a lift.

The Demon UAV, instead, achieves the same result via controlled air jets, which alter the course of the air near the wings, instead of modifying the shape of the wing itself. Sensors mounted on the tips are used to continuously monitor the air flow and to change the direction of the air jets.

According to experts, this could make flying much easier, due to lack of moving parts that could potentially get stuck. In addition, a plane with a profile like that leaves a smaller radar footprint, with easily imaginable advantages for stealth-mode flights, which makes these UAVs particularly suitable for use in reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines.

Demon is in its experimental stage and is still not entirely autonomous, but once then tests are successfully completed, it will operate independently from any human control from the ground, except for setting up the mission coordinates and mounting the necessary equipment to carry it out.
Although this is a prototype, its features have sparked a great interest in aviation, because in a not too distant future, the solutions used for this UAV could also become commonplace in commercial aviation.

An intelligent walking cane for the blind

The life of visually impaired people, especially in cities where cars are driving fast and passersby are jostling all the time to get to their destinations, can be even more complicated than their disability already makes it.

For several years, various research institutes have been working to try and alleviate this kind of inconvenience, and the latest discovery in this respect comes from the University of Arkansas, where a research team has created a laser walking cane for the blind, which thanks to its technology enables its users to better get oriented, thus avoiding risks.

This is achieved by using radar laser sensors, which within a few seconds are able to obtain an image of their surroundings. Thanks to an algorithm created by the research team, the sensors then calculate the user’s position within that environment, and determine the relative motion between the person with the cane and any other persons, objects or vehicles around them.

In this way, the system inform its user about where it is and where it is going, and detects obstacles such as stairs, doors, potholes or anything that could pose a potential threat. If any such obstacles are located, the system would play a sound that warns its blind user of a dangerous situation ahead.

In short, due to its laser sensors, this walking cane for the visually impaired works like some kind of GPS navigation system, with features that make it suitable for use by those who have lost their sight.
The research project has received over 300 thousand dollars in funding from the National Science Foundation, and the cane could be available to end users over the course of next year.

Recording conversations secretly? Nice and easy

Anyone (and there are many) who has ever had a doubt about reliability of the people around them, have at least once asked themselves, how to take a secret recording of a conversation, for example, between his wife and her lover, or between one of his business partners and a competitor with whom he appears to be a bit too friendly, and so on.

The answer exists, and not only it is much easier, but also much cheaper than you can imagine. In fact, there is no need to be professional intelligence agents to record discreetly, if you have the right equipment: for example, devices such as a digital voice recorder.

A miniature recorder, now, is so small that it can be concealed within everyday objects such as key rings, pens, lighters and so on, and would go absolutely unnoticed; anyone can use one, in a simple and intuitive way, to record the conversations around them.

The people around you certainly can not imagine that they are being recorded, and may indulge in compromising conversations, which will be all stored in the memory of your micro recorder. There are several models on the market, for an amateurish or professional use, which may store a few hours of conversations or that can work continuously for days in a row.

Everything depends on how you want to use them and, of course, on your budget. In any case, the cost of this kind of equipment is very limited, and is easily overshadowed by the main benefit: peace in the family or in the office is definitely priceless!

For more information, details and specifications of the hidden recorders, we recommend that you visit the Endoacustica website and contact our experts for tailored advice.

A blimp that can carry up to 150 tons of material

The latest novelty for transportation of heavy cargo in harsh environments, such as war zones accessible only by air, or in mountainous areas where a construction work is taking place, comes from Australia, in the form of what looks like something between an airship and a flying saucer.

The SkyLifter, as this vehicle has been called, is able to load about 150 tons of material, that is, approximately 700 times more than a normal heavy transport helicopter. Obviously, being capable of loading charging so much cargo, its size is in proportion, considering that its diameter is about 150 meters.

Due to its shape, which makes it closely resemble some sort of alien spacecraft, the SkyLifter is less prone to the effects of turbulence caused by wind, and manages to carry its load up to a distance of 2000 km at a cruise speed of 40 knots.
The cockpit is “hanging” on a pod at the bottom of the airship, and this position also ensures load balancing, by keeping a low gravity center.

Thanks to SkyLifter, it will be possible to send humanitarian aid in remote areas, for example by loading it with enough material to build an entire hospital in the African desert, or food and medicines to be sent to areas affected by an earthquake and difficult to reach under normal conditions, or even supplies to a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean.

For now SkyLifter is only a concept, although a prototype has been introduced, with a relatively small diameter of about 18 meters. In its designers’ plans, the first unit should see the light over the next three years, at a cost not yet specified.

A 32000 dollar pocket-sized chemicals detector

The Massachusetts-based Thermo Scientific has just launched its RMX, a portable device that, with a weight just over 900 grams, can save lives and limit the damage connected to a terrorist attack carried out with chemical weapons.

In fact, First Defender RMX, as it is called, is a substance detector, which can indicate the presence, in the air around him, not only of harmful chemicals, such as nerve gas, anthrax and other substances generally associated with terrorist threats, but also explosives and narcotics.

Equipped with a flexible tube hose connected to a sort of handheld computer, First Defender works by pointing the end of the tube (with its sensors) on the object to be analyzed. No need to destroy or alter the sample, First Defender will determine in a few seconds if the material is hazardous.

Designed for use by armed forces, security services, military personnel or for forensic investigations, First Defender displays the results of its work directly on its screen, and with its intuitive interface it is very easy to use, so the person who runs it will not need any particular training.

Operating at temperatures between minus 20 degrees to 40 above zero, it can then be used in a wide variety of environments (even though in the Iraqi desert in summer, 40 degrees means that you are having a cool day). According to its manufacturer, First Defender is also suitable for use by private citizens, even though it is not clear how useful it can really be. Moreover, we are talking about individuals with large financial resources, since the cost of $ 32,000 does not make it exactly affordable for all budgets.

A flying Humvee? Look up, soon you might see one

… Or at least, if you happen to live in Iraq or Afghanistan, one day, over your head, you might really see a vehicle that is something between an armored car, a helicopter and a small plane. In fact, the DARPA (who else?), a few months ago, has launched a tender among several manufacturers of military equipment for a project called Transformer.

The idea stems from the need to provide a defense homemade bombs (or IEDs, Improvised Explosive Devices) and from roadside ambushes, which represent the greatest threat to troops stationed in these troubled areas of the world. If the protection provided by armor plating is not sufficient to save soldiers and vehicles from such attacks, the solution could to fly over the threat.

The Transformer should be able to spread its wings and its rotor blades, similar to those of an helicopter and take off vertically within a maximum of 60 seconds, enough to escape ambushes, reaching an altitude of approximately 3000 meters. The driver of a Transformer need not have a flight patent because the flight is almost completely automated, and on a screen inside the vehicle he would see some sort of “virtual road“, so that whoever is sitting at the Transformer’s wheel should simply follow this path, just like a video game, to reach the destination safely.

A few days ago, DARPA announced that the contract for development of this technology has been entrusted to AAI Corporation, a Maryland based manufacturer, which has won a contract of over $ 3 million to create the first flying tank.

Protection from wiretapping: for everyone, and for everyone’s needs

In the 21st century society, where knowledge and information are available to everyone and are just a simple click or a Google search away, it seems that there is nothing that can not become of public domain within hours or minutes after it is said or done.

So, when for personal or work reasons, you need certain information to remain as confidential as possible, you have to take adequate measures. For example, are we 100% sure that our home phone, or our office lines, are duly protected against any outside intrusion?

Nowadays, intercepting a telephone call, either from a landline or cellular phone, has become much easier, and more affordable for all, than anyone could have possibly imagined just a few decades ago, thanks to technologies that were once only available for secret agents or international spies.

As our phone calls and conversations, even in areas normally considered safe, can be heard almost at any time, the best thing to do is certainly to adopt the proper countermeasures in order to achieve the right defense against eavesdropping.

If you have doubts that, someone may have planted bugging or recording devices in your office, for example because you learn that someone outside the circle of your staff and partners is aware of issues discussed in private meetings, or because a competitor constantly manages to beat your offers to customers with a lower price, modern technology comes to rescue you with a wide array of options.

Equipment for protection from wiretapping is now available almost anywhere on the Internet; these devices can work in several ways to ensure your privacy: for example, by using bug detectors, devices that emit radio waves over a wide frequency range, you can detect any bugs placed in your environment (and identify its location); you can also place a bug detection system directly on the telephone line. This detector, not only is capable to determine whether a listening device has been placed on your phone line cables, but it would also send a small low voltage spike over the cable, enough to defuse and disable listening bugs, and allow you to speak freely again.

Another aspect not to be underestimated is the presence of GSM bugs that can be used to listen to your conversations or private meetings in real time, using the cellular network to relay their content to a distant listener. To protect yourselves from this modern day wiretapping, for example, you can use a jammer, that is, a device that, again thanks to the emission of radio waves, is able to “confuse” the phones present within its range, making it impossible to access to the network, and subsequently to transmit any intelligence.

The jammer not only prevents any unauthorized listener from hearing what’s going on, but there are also models capable of preventing any digital audio recorder from working. Furthermore, using a jammer or scrambler is useful not only to prevent leaks, but also provides a regular and smooth flow of the meeting, without any interruptions due to unwanted or unexpected phone calls. In short, working time is optimized, while keeping everything private.

So if due to the increasing availability of secret listening technology, intercepting a phone call is now possible for almost everyone, the same can be said for the defense against such external attacks; one just needs to find the right way, according to their needs, to ensure that their private conversations, at home or in the office, remain private.

In any case, it is always advisable to rely on an expert when it comes to privacy defense; for example, at Endoacustica you can find answers to all your questions in this particular field.

An amateurish spy microphone with just 20 dollars?

Nowadays, on the Net you can find instructions for everything, ranging from the recipe for a pasta dish all the way to details for making a homemade bomb.
Therefore, it does not come as a surprise if you happen to find the instructions for making a amateur spy microphone.

At a cost of about $ 20, virtually anyone can be able to build a small laser light spy microphone. This microphone is able, through an invisible infrared laser beam, to detect the slightest vibrations of a door or window, caused by sounds produced by the human voice beyond the wood, metal or glass.

The laser beam is collected by a transistor, and thanks to a small amplifier it is then converted into an audio signal. The process of building up the whole thing is relatively easy and would not take too long.

Obviously though, this is amateur equipment, which at most can be used to spy on your neighbor (possibly with harmless intentions and just for fun!). For professional use, it is definitely advisable to use a completely different kind of equipment, such as a directional microphone.

Based on the same concept, laser directional microphones are capable, if their invisible beam is pointed at the glass of a window, to read vibrations and pick up conversations behind it, up to a distance of over a mile. This kind of equipment for remote listening is recommended for use in completely different situations, for example for police forces gathering evidence, or for private detectives during an investigation.

Obviously, compared to this amateurish spy microphone, these devices have a much higher cost, but the result you can achieve are in a class of their own, and can also be used as evidence during trials.

Swarms of flying robots for post-earthquake relief

The idea of a swarm of flying robots might bring to mind old science fiction movies and alien invasion threats, but scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, believe that these flying robots could be very helpful to the community.

In fact, the Swiss Institute is working on a project called Swarming Micro Air Vehicle Network, abbreviated as SMAVNET, that is, precisely, a swarm of miniature robots that fly over an area where there a natural disaster just occurred, and that are able to re-establish communications, giving rescuers the opportunity to optimize relief operations.

In case of disaster or calamity, what is often not possible is to exactly assess the damage, as it is impossible to establish a telephone contact with the affected areas.
SMAVNET is based on a number of MAV (Micro Aerial Vehicles) built out of lightweight material, weighing only 400 grams each, with an electric motor powered by a battery which provides power for approximately 30 minutes of flying time.

Equipped with an array of sensors and navigation equipment, SMAVNET robots are guided over the affected area, and at that point, thanks to the wireless network that keeps them in constant communication with each other, forming a sort of node that acts as a flying antenna, and allows to maintain communications between the rescuers’ operational base, and rescue workers directly located in the area.

The robots are able to operate autonomously, but can also be controlled via a user interface installed on a computer connected wirelessly, which can control the entire swarm at once.
Although the flight time of 30 minutes is rather low, the EPFL team has demonstrated, however, the reliability of the system. The next step will be to extend the batteries life to provide a longer operating time.