Recently Popular Science has announced their “100 Greatest Innovations of 2018.” They’ve included Security in the mix and, wouldn’t you know it, a few of the products have potential in law enforcement. By the looks of the tech involved, they took the term a little loosely. You can find the Security grouping on page 41.
In brief, let’s run them down.
The grand-poo-bah of the group went to the Onyx exoskeleton by Lockheed Martin. It looks like it’s meant for the military providing a massive assistance system to a soldier’s lifting capability. If I’m being honest, it looks even more like something straight out of DARPA.
I could provide a few blockbuster movie titles that played with this concept … but … honestly, Hollywood has used this concept time and time again and you're probably already thinking of a few.
The rest of the group consisted of more tech from the military:
- one features a laser to shoot airborne devices out of the sky
- there is a crazy “shape-shifting” wheel for tactical vehicles (seriously, check this one out on YouTube. Come back after and let me know your best guess as to how much it would cost to replace/fix.)
- another anti-airborne device fires a small missile that apparently “whacks” its target out of the sky
- Master Lock put some clever hats on by putting a curved polycarbonate wrap around their combination padlocks to help keep your secret combination even more unknown to any prying eyes (check this one out if you want to upgrade the security on your locker)
- That key-less entry system for Amazon deliveries. While a lot of us rose an eyebrow of concern regarding the potential of break-ins, you can’t argue with the innovation behind the concept. Popular Science’s description says that there are 31% of packages behind stolen per year. The system might not be fool-proof but at least it is an attempt at reducing the problem.
A resupply drone
The Ripper Group’s “Little Ripper Life SAVER” drone is a simple concept at first. Long story short, it takes the idea of Amazon’s delivery drone system but with life-saving equipment as cargo, flies quickly to the scene, drops it, and returns. The description mentions of possible cargo could include self-inflating floatation devices, thermal blankets, radios, etc.
Let’s say you have a search and rescue mission. You found them, but rescue can’t get their soon enough. This drone can fly in and deliver life-saving equipment. I think the biggest difference here is the UAV’s speed – the description mentions it can fly 3,200 feet in just 70 seconds.
AT&T’s FirstNet
Take a step back and realize how insanely impressive it is that there’s a dedicated network for public safety communications. And all easily completed with a compatible SIM card. While hindsight is 20/20, law enforcement has needed this for years and I’m glad that Popular Science has recognized the innovation behind this life-saving network.
That tether device
It came out right around IACP: The BolaWrap by Wrap Technologies. Some may be able to point out some concerns, you have to admit … they are taking a step in an interesting direction. Our description says it can discharge “an 8-foot bola style Kevlar tether at 640 feet per second…at a range of 10 to 25 feet.”
The company is rightfully excited about the recognition. As stated in their press release from November 28, Elwood "Woody" Norris, CTO of Wrap Technologies and inventor of the BolaWrap 100, said, "I am honored to be recognized by Popular Science with the prestigious Best of What's New award. I am blessed to have been able to invent products like the BolaWrap and others, that largely impact the safety and security of our great nation.”
Concealed weapon-scanning … without the x-ray specs
Thruvision was recognized for their innovation with its TAC-TS4 screening system. Instead of sending out radiation or detecting the magnetic field, it “detects terahertz waves” to build a representation of where a person is concealing recognizable.
Application for the technology is obvious for TSA and even security, but I wonder if there’s potential for this to be integrated into body-worn cameras … one where an officer could trigger activation before doing a pat down.
“Are you carrying anything on you?”
“No officer … really.”
[alert] “My tech says otherwise.”
There are others in other groups as part of the 100. Take a click and scroll through. The full list spans from the Boston Dynamics four-legged robot to the RapidSOS 911 dispatch software pinpointing the caller's location.
If you're like me, you keep your ear to the ground, straining to hear anything about any new thing that's seemingly strange and unusual. Remember that what's commonplace today wasn't always.
New tech is constantly being developed – and it’s not always going to be marketed for law enforcement – but that doesn’t mean there isn’t the potential for some of the "things" out there. I’m always on the lookout for the strange and unusual, especially this time of year. Yes, IACP is behind us and SHOT Show is around the corner – but so is CES and other consumer tech shows throughout the year.
... now, who's the first to figure out how to incorporate Alexa into a patrol car?
Jonathan Kozlowski
Jonathan Kozlowski was with Officer.com, Law Enforcement Technology, and Law Enforcement Product News from August 2006 to 2020.
As former Managing Editor for Officer Media Group, he brought a dedicated focus to the production of the print publications and management of the Officer.com online product and company directory. You can connect with Jonathan through LinkedIn.
Jonathan participated as a judge for the 2019 and 2020 FOLIO: Eddie & Ozzie Awards. In 2012, he received an APEX Award of Excellence in the Technology & Science Writing category for his article on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in police work, aptly titled "No Runway Needed".
