NEWS : TECH (NFPC)

Unlock Your Door With ShareKey

In the last year, I've locked myself out of my home no less than three times. Consequentially, that's resulted in me having to shimmy through open windows like a burglar. I'm surprised my neighbors never called the cops on me.

If only I had ShareKey, a near field communication (NFC) app for a smartphone, I could have avoided all the breaking and entering.

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Developed by Dr. Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi of Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology (SIT), the Android app communicates with smartlocks on one's door via NFC, which allows data to be exchanged wirelessly over a short range. To lock or unlock the door, simply wave the phone near the lock.

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Unlike systems such as Lockitron and UniKey that use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to send instructions remotely, ShareKey requires that a phone be physically waved in front of their locks, making it more difficult for hackers to steal the signal.

Better yet, the system allows for any smartphone to be granted access to the doors for a specified amount of time, be it a few hours or a few weeks. House guests, dog walkers and plant waterers all know what a three-ring circus it can be swapping keys and getting them made, so this feature is an added bonus. ShareKey can send these "electronic keys" directly to the recipient's smartphone as a QR code via email or a multimedia text message.

"For instance, I can grant the building superintendent access to my apartment for a short period so that he can open the door for the gas meter to be read while I'm at work," explains Alexandra Dmitrienko from the SIT. “The solution is built around modern security technologies and can be easily integrated into existing access control systems."

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At this year's CeBIT trade fair in Hannover, Germany, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT in Darmstadt will demo ShareKey in an attempt to drum up interest in hopes that it will be on the market soon.

 via Gizmag

Credit: Fraunhofer SIT

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Double Revolving Doors Block Armed Intruders

The holidays may have provided a temporary distraction from the Newtown, Conn., massacre, but now that the new year's here, it's time to pick up where we left off. Here's one security company that thinks they have a way to prevent a dangerous intruder from entering a school or any other building.

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It called the Linear Revolving Door (LRD), and it was recently patented by Barbecan Security Systems. The door consists of series of parallel hallways that can be built at the entrance of buildings. Each hallway has two doors that revolve in front of and behind a person as they enter.

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The system is equipped with sensors that keeps pace with one's stride to cut down on the bottlenecking of most security checks. Once both doors close, sensors also check for bombs or firearms. If a threat is detected, the doors move in reverse and push out the potential offender.

Check out this animation to see the LRD in action. Though beware, it's quite hypnotic.

With statements like "Newtown could have been prevented," Barbecan's press release is confident, if not cavalier.

"A guard at a building entrance won't stop a determined and well armed attacker -- especially if they have suicidal motivations," it states. "The LRD portal WILL NOT let an armed gunman enter a building. Period. When a threat is detected, the portal reverses and the potential assailant is backed out of the portal. Gun control is not the answer."

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While some parents of Sandy Hook Elementary school children might beg to differ about that last statement, Barbecan contends the LRD is the new solution that's needed.

"Operation is completely safe," states the press release, "and by adapting to the pace of pedestrian traffic, LRD Portals can be used in high traffic entrances like schools, malls, theatres, stadiums and factories."

via Mashable

Credit: Barbecan Security Systems

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Robots Fight Superbugs in Hospitals

One of the biggest worries about American's obsession with antibacterial soaps is the possibility that viruses and bacteria will develop into "superbugs." At Johns Hopkins Hospital a new method is being tested to prevent the rise of superbugs by using robot-like devices that spray hydrogen peroxide.

These bots are about the size of a washing machine and weigh nearly 60 pounds each. Two bots are placed in a sealed room that has had its vents covered. One device sprays a light bleaching agent into the air to kill and prevent the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. A thin layer of the hydrogen peroxide agent, about 2 to 6 microns thick, coats all of the surfaces in the room, including equipment, tables and chairs. A second vaporizer breaks down the bleaching agent into its water and oxygen components, making it non-toxic to humans. The entire process takes about an hour and a half to complete.

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The vaporizers were first developed in Singapore in 2002 to combat the spread of SARS and were stocked in U.S. government agencies in case of an anthrax outbreak.

The team at Johns Hopkins found the rate of patients contaminated with drug-resistant diseases dropped by 64 percent. The vapor also proved effective against bacteria like Staphylococcus, which causes staph infection, and its super cousin MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which is resistant to antibiotics and causes flesh-eating disease.

The study's senior investigator Trish Perl said in a press release that, "Our goal is to improve all hospital infection control practices, including cleaning and disinfection, as well as behavioral and environmental practices, to the point where preventing the spread of these multiple-drug-resistant organisms also minimizes the chances of patients becoming infected and improves their chances of recovery."

The positive results of the study has lead the hospital to purchasing two decontaminating units to be used in rooms that have a high-risk of drug-resistant bacteria. Further testing will be done to see if the bots are useful for decontaminating the outside packaging of unused but potentially exposed hospital equipment.

Credit: BioQuell 

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Party Horn Only Works If You're Drunk

Now that Christmas is in the rear-view mirror, you're speeding towards one last holiday destination: New Year's Eve, typically one of the most besotted nights on the calendar.

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Once you make that last exit towards Boozetown, here's a little party favor that'll remind you not to get behind the wheel after you've sung those last notes of "Auld Lang Syne."

Although the Buzzed Buzzer, created by Tyler DeAngelo and Sacha De'Angeli, sounds like any old party horn blown on New Year's Eve, it only makes a sound if you're drunk. Maybe not lamp-shade-on-the-head drunk, but alcohol must be present on the breath of the reveler who's blowing it.

Unfortunately, you have to buy the materials and put it together yourself. Think of it as your last craft project of 2012.

All you have to do is take a traditional party horn, add a micro-controller, an alcohol sensor, a resistor, a buzzer, a battery and a battery charger. Yeah, I know, it sounds a little more complicated than just Scotch-taping everything together. Fortunately, there are detailed instructions on how to make your own. Just a heads up, you're going to need your soldering iron, wire cutters, wire strippers, needle nosed pliers and a computer installed with Arduino IDE and Teensyduino. You might want to do this before you start in on the cocktails.

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Another word to the wise: Buzzed Buzzer is not a breathalyzer device, so don't think it's going to give you your blood alcohol level and let you know if you should drive or not. Better just to throw your keys in a bowl, uncork the champagne, get out the lamp shades and blow your horn.

Bottoms up.

via Gizmag

credit: Buzzed Buzzer

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Helmet Lets You Crank Up The Tunes

Nothing like shreddin' the gnar and carvin' up some sick rooster tails on the snowy slopes, eh? The fresh mountain air. Snowflakes falling on the pines. And, now, thanks to this Beats by Dre ski helmet, you can customize this winter wonderland with a totally wicked soundtrack.

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The helmet is part of the popular BUG Communication line from ski and snowboard maker POC. The Beats headphones and microphone are simply integrated into the neck roll. Good news if you already have a POC helmet: you can buy the neck roll separately.

But be prepared to shell out some dough. After all, the units do have the coveted Beats by Dre logo. The complete helmet is $330, while the individual neck roll in $180.

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However, since wearing earbuds and headphones with regular helmets is uncomfortable, if not, downright impossible, $330 might be a small price to pay for rippin' down a hill while listening to AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie."

via Dvice

Credit: POC

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These Cuffs Will Shock The Hell Out Of You

These handcuffs are truly shocking. And that's only a fraction of what they're capable of.

According to U.S. Patent Application 20120298119, Scottsdale Inventions, LLC of Paradise Valley, Arizona has invented a pair of high-tech handcuffs that appear to be a Swiss Army knife of torture restraint.

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For starters, the cuffs are capable of administering high-voltage, low amperage shocks that will immobilize uncooperative detainees. Inspired by invisible fence technology that not-so-subtly reminds dogs where their boundaries are, these cuffs are a part of a programmable system that uses radio transmitters to corral prisoners. Step beyond the designated perimeter and the cuffs could issue various warnings, such as audible signals, vibrations, a flashing light or a mild electric shock, before a more severe zap would restore order.

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As well, the cuffs could include an accelerometer, inclinometer, potentiometer, location sensing device, microphone, camera, a biometric sensor or a combination of devices that would allow guards to more closely monitor their prisoners.

If there's any mercy to be found, the cuffs do include safety cutouts to prevent fatal jolts. However, developers also envision the cuffs being able to release gases, liquids, dyes and even sedatives that could be injected into the prisoners. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, syringe-equipped handcuffs.

But wait there's more. If you're still not convinced that these cuffs are the most fully loaded, less-lethal weapon this side of Joel Braun's little ray of sunshine, Scottsdale Inventions wants to remind you that this system could also be incorporated into ankle cuffs, restraining belts, straitjackets, harnesses, facial restraints, helmets or neck collars.

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I don't know about you, but if the image of an inmate writhing in agony, compliments of his or her shock collar and/or facial restraints, is enough to send you to the dark and troubled side of life, feel free to join me. I'll be hanging out with the Carters on the bright and sunny side. As our current news cycle continues to seethe, I think we could all use a little Vitamin D.

via Gizmag

Credit: USPTO

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Cellphones Are Changing School Emergency Plans

By Leslie Meredith, TechNewsDaily Senior Writer

 

Once seen as a nuisance, student cellphones now figure into school security plans. Credit: iBjorn/Flickr

In the past, schools and cellphones didn't mix. Teachers saw them as a distraction, and many schools banned their use in the classroom. But in the wake of school shootings over the past 13 years, school districts are beginning to change their policies.

Since the 1999 killings at Columbine High School in Colorado, school districts and law enforcement authorities have worked together on strategies to respond to violence in schools. Plans include how to protect students inside buildings, evacuate them and notify parents. Students and teachers practice lockdown drills, steps to secure the school so that no one can enter or exit.

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And technology is a big part of more recent plans, now that cellphone use among kids has grown. While most high school students wouldn't leave the house without their phones, children just starting school have cellphones, too. More than 1 in 10 kids between the ages of 6 to 10 already have their own cell, according to data collected during the first six months of 2012 by YouthBeat, a research firm that focuses on the use of technology by kids from preschool up to age 18.

After the Chardon High School shooting earlier this year, administrators at the small-town school in Ohio reported that students used their phones call 911 and to let their parents know they were safe. The school is now considering an update to their plan called ALICE — which stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate — in which cellphones play an important role.

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For instance, a mass text could direct students in case of a crisis. Teachers might send a text telling students to move outside if an intruder were at the opposite end of the building.

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Other uses for cellphones during an attack include sending texts to parents, teachers and students with accurate information to help quell rumors and as a way to manage traffic when parents converge on a school and can block emergency responders.

The usefulness of cellphones in a crisis is partly why many school districts now allow high school and middle school students to carry their phones.

After the Newtown, Conn., shooting, elementary schools could make the same allowance for their students. And perhaps more parents would decide to give even their youngest children phones of their own.

Interviewed on CNN, an unnamed mother of a child who survived the Newtown shootings said, "Let's go get her cellphone activated right now."

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Copyright 2012 TechNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Oh, I WILL Find My iPhone!

If you've ever had your iPhone stolen, you have have erased it completely using Apple's "Find my iPhone." This feature, which can be accessed online or through another iOS device, allows you to remotely lock your missing device with a four-digit passcode. You can even go so far as to delete your personal data and restore your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac to its factory settings.

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Yesterday, Apple quietly released an update to the app that will show user's a road map to the exact location of a missing iPhone, iPad or iPod. When searching for the device's location on another iOS device, a tiny car icon will show up on the screen and when prompted, will provide directions to the lost device's whereabouts. The feature is only available on Apple device running iOS 6, so if you haven't already, bite the bullet and upgrade, if this kind of thing is important to you.

One would like to think this feature was added to serve as a memory jogger for those who may have left their phone somewhere and not as a tracker for a potential thief. Just be sure to have a cool head if you decide to hunt down your iPhone. It may be best to let the authorities handle it, or bring a big friend.

via PCMag

Credit: Rob Pegoraro / Discovery

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FCC Urges Use of In-Flight Electronics

In news that's sure to make Alec Baldwin happy, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow more electronics on airplanes. Julius Genachowski, chairman of the FCC sent a letter to the FAA requesting the agency "enable greater use of tablets, e-readers, and other portable devices."

The letter, which was first obtained by The Hill, was addressed to Michael Huerta, the acting administrator of the FAA, and explains that electronic devices are becoming more important in the lives Americans.

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"They empower people to stay informed and connected with friends and family, and they enable both large and small businesses to be more productive and efficient, helping drive economic growth and boost U.S. competitiveness," Genachowski wrote in the letter.

Afters year of grumbling dissent from disgruntled passengers, the FAA has finally agreed to review its policies about electronic devices during all junctures of the flight, even takeoff and landing. However, the review been in somewhat of a holding pattern.

"This review comes at a time of tremendous innovation, as mobile devices are increasingly interwoven in our daily lives," Genachowski wrote in the letter.

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As Nick Bilton pointed out in the New York Times Bits blog, the last time the FAA did any reviews of electronic devices on planes was in 2006, when tablets, smartphones and e-readers where just a glimmer in the eyes of tech developers and consumers. Even then, the FAA found no evidence that supported claims that electronic devices could or couldn't interfere with the plane. Yet passengers still had to abide by strict rules and turn off their gadgets during takeoff and landing.

However, earlier this year, the FAA gave clearance for pilots to use iPads instead of paper flight manuals.

Perhaps the FCC's letter could be the final push the FAA needs to extend those same rules to the rest of plane.

via the New York Times Bits blog

Credit: Mika/Corbis

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Aleppo TV a Syrian Lifeline: DNews Nuggets

Aleppo TV a Syrian Lifeline: An underground television station called Aleppo Today has become must-see TV for Syrians who still remain in what was once the country's most populated city. The station has been broadcasting political reports since July, when Syria's civil war swept into the city. Now the station provides a constant live-stream update on the fighting.

The broadcast is simple, just music and still images. But running along the bottom of the screen is information alerting viewers to the movement of government tanks, strikes by air force jets, rebel offensives in the city and Internet delays. The reports come from more than 40 correspondents in Aleppo and another 30 reporters in the suburbs. According to WBUR, the channel is often blocked by President Bashar Assad's regime, but when that happens, the station moves their broadcasts to another channel and it doesn't take long for members of its loyal audience to find it. via WBUR

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