TECHNOLOGY
See how technology and gadgets can help or hinder spies
“A spy’s most important tool is his or her brain – gadgets can go wrong and, if you’re caught, they might blow your cover. All the gadgets in the world can’t help if you’re not able to think on your feet, make quick decisions and read situations and people at a glance.”
Harry Ferguson, former MI6 Intelligence Officer
DID YOU KNOW?
In the rarefied atmosphere of Mars, a fixed wing aircraft would need to travel at almost 250 mph simply to stay aloft. Flapping-wing craft like the Entomopter could travel more slowly, making aerial data collection much more effective.
Marilyn Monroe was discovered while working as an assembler on the production line of the first mass-produced unmanned aerial vehicle, the OQ-3. In 1945, an Army photographer was sent to the L.A. factory to capture images of women war workers and spotted her talent as a model.
DID YOU KNOW?
Britain has the largest DNA database in the world, with more than 3.5 million people registered.
Fingerprint identification may not be as reliable as you think. If we scanned your fingerprints we could probably find several other people in the US whose records appeared to match yours. What if one of them was wanted for a serious crime?
DID YOU KNOW?
The US National Security Agency is funding research into the mass collection of information from public social networking sites like myspace.com. It could ultimately combine data from these sites with financial, shopping and other records to build personal profiles of spying targets.
INSECT SPIES?
Scientists and engineers are developing tiny spy planes that could fly almost unnoticed inside buildings. Some of these have flapping wings and are inspired by insects.
The Entomopter name comes from the words entomo (related to entomology and insects) and pteron (meaning wing) – it quite literally means a “winged insect machine.” It can fly, crawl and even swim. And it finds its way around with ultrasonic echo location.
As technology develops, it’s easy to design the physical flapping wings of an insect-like plane and the tiny cameras that it might carry. The major challenge is being able to carry enough energy to power these wings. The Entomopter uses a special chemically-fueled muscle. This flaps the wings and the waste gases created are then reused up to 6 more times for fueling other functions and assisting with flight control.
IDENTIFYING YOU
Facial recognition system creates a unique numerical code based on precise information, such as the distance between your eyes and the width of your nose. This data can be used to identify you by comparing what’s on file with a fresh image of your face.
Computers can use measurements of a wide range of physical attributes (known as biometrics) to identify you. The intricate pattern of your iris, the shape of your ear, even your personal body odor and DNA are all unique to you.
Biometric data is increasingly being used as physical passwords for a wide range of security purposes, such as passports and identity cards. The most effective systems use several biometrics at the same time (e.g. face, iris and fingerprint) to improve accuracy.
BE AN ONLINE SPY
Can you follow the data trail to find out about OSTECK’s secret plan? Hundreds of databases hold information about you. Some are secure, some aren’t; some are protected by the law.
Just like going through the garbage in someone’s trash can, intelligence analysts look for connections in this data, fitting snippets of information together to unravel mysteries. With the right skills and clever software they can take one tiny clue and find out a wealth of information.
Intelligence rarely arrives in complete form. Real-world intelligence analysis is about reducing uncertainty and producing information that can be practicably used to make decisions.
MORSE KEYS
Each of these keys plays out the Morse code for the letter on the key. Just like modern day text messaging, Morse code operators didn’t want to waste time tapping out every single letter of a message. They used standard shortened phrases. This apparently random collection of letters spells out a standard abbreviated Morse code message, WL U CFM NR, meaning, “will you confirm number”.
Proceed to MISSION »
The Science of Spying, an exhibition from 
scienceof.com
