Headlines

Discovery

Newest defense against drone strikes: Special hoodies?

Harvey has been looking at the effects of such surveillance on culture for some time. Last year he designed a kind of face makeup called CVDazzle to avert face-recognition software.

In the spirit of fooling cameras – and messing with surveillance – Harvey has now come out in a set of hoodies and scarves that block thermal radiation from the infrared scanners drones use. Wearing the fabric would make that part of the body look black to a drone, so the image would appear like disembodied legs. He also designed a pouch for cell phones that shields them from trackers by blocking the radio signals the phone emits. For those airport X-ray machines, he has a shirt with a printed design that blocks the radiation from one’s heart.

Read the Article

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Trackbacks/Pings

Trackback URL

Comments

I’m not impressed. They don’t just target people randomly. If they are directed to where terrorists are unloading missiles and see some disembodied legs with long metal tubes, they are going to fire, even with your magic hoodie.

Blake on January 20, 2013 at 5:16 PM

They can still see you just fine with night vision.

HotAirian on January 20, 2013 at 5:20 PM

For every action there is a reaction.

Asymmetrical warfare works, as has been proven graphically these last few years.

CorporatePiggy on January 20, 2013 at 5:25 PM

Tin-foil hat sold separately.

calbear on January 20, 2013 at 5:26 PM

Wait, you mean it won’t make the wearer invincible? Then what’s the point?

I’d rather have a Borg shield. That would confound the snipers.

platypus on January 20, 2013 at 5:27 PM

I’m skeptical, the heat has to go somewhere, generally up and out, unless there is something actively intercepting it and exhausting it elsewhere. I’d have to see tests that compare these cloths to regular clothing of similar insulative value before I’ll believe it.

FloatingRock on January 20, 2013 at 5:34 PM

I’m skeptical, the heat has to go somewhere, generally up and out, unless there is something actively intercepting it and exhausting it elsewhere. I’d have to see tests that compare these cloths to regular clothing of similar insulative value before I’ll believe it.

FloatingRock on January 20, 2013 at 5:34 PM

There’s always a realist to spoil a fantasy thread in progress. :)

platypus on January 20, 2013 at 5:36 PM

There’s always a realist to spoil a fantasy thread in progress. :)

platypus on January 20, 2013 at 5:36 PM

Funny how all our awesome tech and tactics pretty much failed in Afghanistan. We will walk away (it is written) and the result will be effectively nothing, strategically.

CorporatePiggy on January 20, 2013 at 5:42 PM

Probably the best inexpensive way to reduce your heat signature is to design/invent some sort of cooling suit, which doesn’t have to be as fancy as those worn by astronauts, covered by a vapor barrier over that followed by a suitably thick layer of insulation. Then you have to have a power source and a method to either store or exhaust the heat as surreptitiously as possible.

FloatingRock on January 20, 2013 at 5:46 PM

Funny how all our awesome tech and tactics pretty much failed in Afghanistan. We will walk away (it is written) and the result will be effectively nothing, strategically.

CorporatePiggy on January 20, 2013 at 5:42 PM

They hide in plain sight by blending in with the civilian population, presumably. Having an oddly low heat signature would only draw unwanted attention to them.

FloatingRock on January 20, 2013 at 6:13 PM

Operator: Perp acquired, no distinguishing features … wait, wait, … perp has donned heat deflecting hoodie. Be on the lookout for perp wearing heat deflecting hoodie.

LEO: Roger, the idiot is walking towards me as we speak.

Dusty on January 20, 2013 at 6:22 PM

He also designed a pouch for cell phones that shields them from trackers by blocking the radio signals the phone emits.

Maybe some phones are different, but I have a service where coverage is really spotty in an area where I work frequently. If the phone doesn’t pick up reception, then it seems to shut down looking for it for a period of time. There has often been occasions where I have to turn it off and on again to pull up reception.

Maybe my observation here is wrong, but if it’s accurate, then there’s no advantage of having a pouch over turning the phone off when you aren’t using it, because the pouch is going to shield the phone from receiving signals as well as sending them.

Dusty on January 20, 2013 at 6:34 PM

Something about Trayvon.

DavidW on January 20, 2013 at 7:10 PM

I want the one that makes you look like a noble Afghan woman gathering fire wood in the dark.

BL@KBIRD on January 20, 2013 at 7:17 PM

I want the one that makes you look like a noble Afghan woman gathering fire wood in the dark.

BL@KBIRD on January 20, 2013 at 7:17 PM

I want a portable SAM site.

davidk on January 20, 2013 at 7:24 PM

Maybe my observation here is wrong, but if it’s accurate, then there’s no advantage of having a pouch over turning the phone off when you aren’t using it, because the pouch is going to shield the phone from receiving signals as well as sending them.

Cell phones can be tracked even when they’re turned off and when they can’t get a signal. The only way to prevent it is to remove the battery.

single stack on January 20, 2013 at 8:25 PM