System ‘blinds’ digi-cams
p2p news / p2pnet:- A system that can detect a digital camera and then blind it by shooting a beam of light at the lens has been developed by students at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Led by PhD grad student Shwetak Patel, the team has made a lab prototype comprising a digital projector with a modified video camera mounted on top, “but will soon design a device that could be manufactured and sold commercially,” says CNET News.
It can pick up cameras up to 10 meters (about 33 feet) away and covers a 45-degree area
“The group, which presented a paper on its work at Ubicomp (The Seventh International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing) in Tokyo last week, is also in contact with large consumer electronics manufacturers.”
Nor are the Georgia Tech developers alone.
Hewlett-Packard, an enthusiastic supporter of entertainment and software cartel plans to stomp p2p, unless they own it, “has applied for a patent on technology that could remotely cause blurry pictures in digital cameras, but it requires putting additional circuitry inside the camera,” says CNET, going on that HP “and others” are also working on “projection technology meant to stymie video piracy”.
Meanwhile, the Georgia Tech system essentially exploits the retroreflective property of digital camera lenses, says the story. “In this system, a device bathes the region in front of it with infrared light. When an intense retroreflection indicates the presence of a digital camera lens, the device then fires a localized beam of light directly at that point. Thus, the picture gets washed out.
“The neutralizing light continues until the camera lens can no longer be detected, which prevents video cameras from capturing clear footage.
“For added security, the system emits light beams in a pattern that prevents cameras from compensating for the light. (In the lab prototype, the video camera, with its built-in infrared beam, serves as the camera detector, while the projector is the neutralizer.)”
The blinder detects and blocks multiple cameras and works on cameras with either CCD or CMOS imagers, which are used in the vast majority of digital cameras, adds CNET.
Patel says he enjoys cars and drag racing, as well as being an avid skater and sports fan. And, “As any sane person, I also enjoy movies and music (punk and alternative),” he says.
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See:-
CNET News – Crave privacy? New tech knocks out digital cameras, September 19, 2005
September 19th, 2005 at 2:12 pm
The trick is to find the detector(s) and overwhelm them with a return beam that will confuse their readings.
September 19th, 2005 at 4:26 pm
great for any criminals as well,perfect for taking out digital security cameras.
September 19th, 2005 at 10:35 pm
Good, cams and TS’s are shitty anyways.
September 20th, 2005 at 2:52 am
So all they gotta do is use the old “soft focus” technique of putting some material from a pair of stockings over the lens to stop the lens reflecting as much light and this system won’t spot the camera at all?
Well, that took me about 40 seconds to think up, let’s see how long it takes the ppl who do the screeners to figure it out. Ok the movies might look a bit weird in soft focus, but you get worse out of screeners sometimes anyway.
And we won’t mention the number of movies leaked to the net by insiders who aren’t using a digital camera pointed at a cinema screen will we? Morons. The sad part is that movie prices are gonna increase to cover the costs of “systems” like this.
So the MPAA will be hurting the customers they need, and those naughty filesharers will still get pirated movies anyway! I’m in the wrong business, i should quit my day job and make money selling useless “content protection” schemes and systems that don’t work to the morons who are too stupid to notice!
September 20th, 2005 at 1:56 pm
I could think of several ways of using IR to foil cameras as well as way to preventir light from interfering with “camming.” The cat and mose game will continue. The ones who will profit are the pirates as well as the companies who make these “countermeasures.” In the same light, the people who profit from computer malware are the antivurus companies and the virus writers. This whole thing is a stupid battle that can be easily avoided with a bit of common sense.
September 21st, 2005 at 11:15 am
A few ideas.
Well, since the detectors on this system will be looking for reflection from the lenses of video cams you can;
1. Put a deep lens hood on your camera to block access from sides of the movie screen. The equipment will have to be mounted on the front walls, front ceiling of the theater and not in the screen itself.
2. IR laser modules are cheap and plentyful on the internet. Get one with a few hundred milliwatts output and fry their sensors. Should be a nice effect. Don’t worry, no smoke or charred flesh, just fried sensors.
3. Using many decoys in the theater at the same time also will tax their system. They can probably hit only a finite number of reflective targets. How about 10 or 20 camera lenses mounted on your friend’s caps? I’ll bet that there’s no law against cap-mounted lenses that do nothing?
September 21st, 2005 at 11:16 am
oops, forgot
4. Apply one or more IR filters on your camera too.
he he he…
May 15th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Have a case in court to know to visit at, thanks!