I’m more used to Twitter trying to steal my time and concentration, but this latest Arduino project turns it into a protector of law and order instead. The Arduino is used to monitor a home burglar alarm and send out status messages should anything unexpected happen; that could include when the alarm was activated or shut off, error messages regarding dodgy sensors, or just when the alarm actually sounds.
D-Link have announced a series of new home-starter internet surveillance kits, which use Powerline networking to make setup straightforward. The three initial products consist of the DHA-390 starter kit, which comes with a single CCTV camera and Powerline receiver/transmitter pair, the DHA-310 expansion kit, which offers an additional camera and Powerline transmitter, and the DHA-330 video player, which is a 7-inch monitor suitable for local or remote viewing.
Retina scanning, face recognition and fingerprint reading are common biometric systems for physical security accesses or computer logon systems, and in recent years the latter has become more widespread in consumer products such as laptops or handheld devices. Fingerprint readers, despite being nearly ubiquitous on notebooks these days, aren’t exactly popular mainly due to the concerns of public hygiene. Fujitsu’s approach, palm vein scanning, on the other hand, is non-invasive and contactless scanning: PalmSecure advanced biometric authentication technology comes in the form of a standard PC mouse and offers highly secure and reliable personal identity verification. SlashGear caught up with Dan Miller, business development manager at Fujitsu, to find out more.
Sony have announced a new method of biometric security, that relies on the patterns of veins inside a user’s finger rather than their fingerprints. Dubbed ‘mofiria’, the system relies on the veins scattering infrared light, which are then recognized by a small CMOS sensor. Since mofiria can compensate for differently-placed fingers, that means fewer frustrating repositioning swipes as often demanded by traditional fingerprint scanners.
A second version of the trojan infecting pirated copies of iWork ‘09 has been identified, this time distributed with torrents of Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Mac. OSX.Trojan.iServices.B installs with root privileges and then opens a back-door to the trojan author, leaving the Mac potentially open to remote takeover. The malware was identified by security firm Intego, who believe around 5,000 people have already downloaded the pirated CS4.
When the robots come for you, first they try nets and then it’s the lasers. Thankfully the Tmsuk T-34 only comes equipped with the former – at least for the moment – being in effect a remote-controlled car with an integrated net launcher. Designed by a Japanese robotics company in conjunction with a security firm, the Tmsuk T-34 is operated via a cellphone with live video feedback.
Video demo of the net-firing T-34 robot after the cut
President-elect Barack Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States in exactly one week – January 20. Sure, that’s good news for the former Illinois Senator, but his promotion doesn’t come without a little bit of sacrifice – namely, he’ll have to give up his precious BlackBerry. Fortunately, the President does have a few NSA-approved smartphones he can use.
Looking for a home security device but don’t want to spend a bundle on an alarm system, cameras or guards? The Home Security Television Simulator might be just what you need to secure your home on the cheap.
Swann Communications has formally announced the debut of the PenCam DVR, which secretly captures video footage and then transfers it to the users computer. This all-in–one surveillance system gives anyone the tools needed to take their own hidden videos.
In an effort to reduce development process to fabricate a much competitive and high resolution surveillance camera in the increasingly popular security-segment of digital camera industry; Sanyo turned to its company’s 4MP production camcorder, whipped out a full HD resolution networked surveillance Camera based on the goodies and image processing engine from the “Xacti” camcorder.
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