Tag: crime

Thanks to nanotechnology the human eye can perceive its surroundings in the highest possible resolution. Now a Spanish startup is looking to nanotechnology to help prevent documents and products from being falsified. The key here: photo-sensitive microparticles. Integrated into ink, they are used to print security features in QR- and barcodes. As in current methods for bank notes, the...

High-energy laser light detects illegal ivory products. Criminals, meanwhile, devote their energy to falsifying valuable objects such as passports. Now, a research team in China hopes to give would-be fraudsters the run around with its new hydrogel. The material is made by mixing a conductive polymer with a flexible polymer; after briefly applying an electric field, the electrically charged...

A tattoo can help protect people from sexual assault. Whereas a non-profit organisation in Berlin is focusing on how to combat gender-based violence within relationships. The group’s app allows those affected to keep an incident log, which serves as proof in court proceedings. Additionally, information is available on different types of violence. For security reasons, details of the app,...

Music can help identify compromised IT networks. Thanks to AI, however, deep-fakes are becoming increasingly hard to detect. Enter a Hamburg startup and its new software platform, which protects image-based media from manipulation. The team’s patented trust-technology combines cryptography with computer-assisted image analysis. When image-material (photos, videos) is created using the platform, the camera’s properties are converted into a...

Film can identify spoiled food by changing colour. A South-Korean based research team is relying on a similar concept to prevent people from consuming spiked drinks. The team developed a gel-film, intended as a temporary tattoo, to detect colourless GHB drugs - sometimes known as ‘liquid ecstasy’. Perpetrators mix them with drinks to induce stupors and make people vulnerable...

Cars could be protected from theft by a safe-like coding system. Anyone who works in public places would welcome the chance to leave their laptop unattended. To use the toilet for instance. Research shows that worldwide around 10% of laptops are stolen. Enter a US startup and its easy-to-install solution. A mounting arm is taped to the underside of...

Fish remains are a good source of bioplastics. Jellyfish, meanwhile, could soon be an unlikely ally for police officers up and down the country. All thanks to Chinese-British researchers who have discovered that a fluorescent protein contained in the slimy sea-dwellers could be a big help at crime scenes. The protein binds with negatively-charged molecules in the grease and...