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June 03, 2006
New Tech for Catching Bad Guys
(Kiplinger Business Forecasts Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) SPEAK ARABIC OR CHINESE? THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS YOU
Promising new security technologies will hit the market within the next few years. Funding from the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology is helping some companies turn science fiction concepts into reality. New products will give homeland security and law enforcement officials a big leg up in stopping terrorists before they strike. Among the most notable developments:
A 3-D face detection system that photographs people from six different angles, allowing facial features to be studied in greater detail. From Advanced Digital Imaging Research of League City, Texas, the real-time face recognition system figures to be a big help at security checkpoints at airports and elsewhere. Police can also use such photos for easier identification of people in two-dimensional photos, in which only a partial side view may be visible, for example.
"Facial fingerprinting" that relies on infrared images of unique vascular features. Developed by Infrared Identification Inc. of Lorton, Va., the system matches maps of the large blood vessels in the face with those in a database of identified criminals and terrorists. Beards, eyeglasses and other disguises can't fool the camera, and using the technology doesn't require the subject's cooperation the way some other biometric ID systems do.
Improved recognition software that can sort out distorting errors. Originally used to identify specific dolphins from sounds they made in the noisy underwater environment, the technology from Quantum Signal of Ann Arbor, Mich., isn't tricked by dyed hair, eyeglasses, beards and the like. It can also identify voices altered by colds or fake accents. Look for it to be used to identify individuals from the irises of their eyes or patterns of walking.
A "smart" video surveillance camera designed to sense unusual behavior and to alert security guards. Computer-modeling and behavioral analysis technology flags suspicious or unusual behavior, helping to spot danger before it erupts. The system can also be helpful in places such as nursing homes, where it can watch for patient falls, allowing help to be summoned more quickly. ActivEye of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., is doing the research.
A faster bag and cargo scanner that uses CT scans and sophisticated X-rays to check shipments more efficiently than today's systems. From Varian Medical Systems of Palo Alto, Calif., the technology can inspect an entire port container in under six minutes. It also has potential for speeding up airport security lines and reducing the need for security agents at airports.
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(source: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-new-tech-catching-bad-guys-/2006/06/03/1668218.htm)
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