BINJ Labs cell phone signal detection solution for airlines QUINCY, MA - August 28, 2006
BINJ Labs, an innovative technology firm specializing in signal detection, defense electronics, corrections and public safety communications says new cell phone signal detection technology could serve as a solution for the airlines industry as it grapples with how to best respond to cell phone use on planes. Click for more
CellScan testing a success in Washington, DC QUINCY, MA - August 3, 2006
BINJ Labs, an innovative technology firm specializing in corrections, defense electronics and public safety communications, announced today its success in testing CellScan, the company’s wireless system that identifies, tracks and reports cell phone activity in prisons. At the Washington, DC Department of Corrections, CellScan accurately detected 100 percent of the cell phones. Click for more
News and Media
Tech cos. funded for clamping down on crime
Mass High Tech
1/3/06
Crime is paying for technology companies working to stop it. Two Massachusetts companies expect to close funding as early as this month for technologies that will be used to stop theft in retail stores and criminals in the clink. Click for more
Press Releases Section
BINJ Labs Cell Phone Signal Detection Solution For Airlines
QUINCY, MA - August 28, 2006 - BINJ Labs, an innovative technology firm specializing in signal detection, defense electronics, corrections and public safety communications says new cell phone signal detection technology could serve as a solution for the airlines industry as it grapples with how to best respond to cell phone use on planes.
Recent events regarding cell phones including a Northwest flight that was diverted because of suspicious cell phone use by passengers, a plot to destroy a British airliner using a gel-like substance and a cell phone or MP3 player, and the British Airways flight that had to return to Heathrow 90 minutes after take off because no one confessed to using a cell phone even though crewmembers heard a phone ring is causing considerable fear among passengers and crew and creating severe flight delays. As a result, a solution that meets the concerns and safety of passengers and flight personnel is needed now more than ever.
“If the FAA wants to provide passengers with the freedom to use cell phones, but protect travelers and empower airlines with the information they need to minimize risk, using a system that alerts airline personnel where and when a cell phone is activated with the ability to disable it is a viable option,” says BINJ Labs CEO Joe Noonan.
This type of system should include a visual alert of cell phone activity inside bathrooms, cargo areas and throughout the aircraft including times when a “no cell phones” sign is activated. Airlines could then choose when to enforce cell phone restrictions and, if necessary, disable phones.
The BINJ Labs CellScan signal detection system, which was recently created to help corrections officials locate cell phones illegally used in their facilities, would accurately track the location and signal of any cell phone used at any time during a flight. Real-time signal tracking and reporting would help flight staff immediately target cell phones and electronic devices so they could make the decisions necessary to ensure the safety of fellow staff and passengers.
CellScan testing a success in Washington, DC Quincy, Massachusetts, August 3, 2006
BINJ Labs, an innovative technology firm specializing in corrections, defense electronics and public safety communications, announced today its success in testing CellScan, the company’s wireless system that identifies, tracks and reports cell phone activity in prisons. At the Washington, DC Department of Corrections, CellScan accurately detected 100 percent of the cell phones.
Cell phone use by inmates has become the number one problem in the corrections industry. Technology has made cell phones smaller, making them increasingly difficult to find. In addition, inmates are paying a premium for a single cell phone to harass witnesses and conduct illegal activity within and outside of their facility.
“CellScan’s flexibility and wireless capabilities make it the perfect solution for any facility of any size,” says BINJ Labs CEO, Joe Noonan. “The system’s technology helps corrections practitioners detect in real-time when and where cell phones are being used. The sheer knowledge that an effective solution like CellScan is in place should stop cold inmate cell phone use. We are committed to helping corrections practitioners make their facility safer, and CellScan is front line technology that will help us achieve this.”
The CellScan system uses complex arrays to detect cell phone signals (e.g. GSM, CDMA2000, TDMA, IS-95, etc.) as use occurs. The information is then clearly displayed on an electronic map of the facility to help practitioners locate the phones. CellScan will be the first wireless system on the market.
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News and Media Section
Tech cos. funded for clamping down on crime
01/03/2006 08:08 AM
By Efrain Viscarolasaga
See - Mass High Tech Article (PDF Download)
* Reprinted from From Mass High Tech
Crime is paying for technology companies working to stop it.
Two Massachusetts companies expect to close funding as early as this month for technologies that will be used to stop theft in retail stores and criminals in the clink.
In Cambridge, IntelliVid Corp. is working with retailers to stop thieves. In Quincy, a new company called Binj Technologies Inc. is working with corrections officials to control the prison system's No. 1 technological problem: illegal cell phones. They join a growing cluster of companies in New England whose technologies are being used to thwart crime.
Such companies include Viisage Inc. of Billerica, which makes facial-recognition software being used by the Essex County Sheriff's Department as well as within prisons, and badge and insignia maker V.H. Blackinton & Co. Inc. of Attleboro Falls, which has deployed a radio frequency identification (RFID) platform for identifying counterfeit badges.
In addition, Asys Technology Group, a consultancy in Peabody, has developed a software platform to manage the internal bank accounts of prisoners while Xwave Solutions Inc., a Canadian software company with U.S. headquarters in Augusta, Maine, offers offender management applications for both police and corrections organizations.
Corrections.com in Quincy has become the online portal of the corrections industry, offering news and services to corrections staff and administrators. The company is run by the husband-and-wife team of Joseph and Laura Noonan and has carved itself a niche as an industry voice, as well as a developer of new products.
"Corrections is a big industry," said Joe Noonan. "It's not sexy and is a pretty close-knit community, but it is about a $43 billion industry."
Last year, the Federal Bureau of Prisons approached Joe Noonan looking for a way to curb illegal cell phone use inside jails and prisons. Noonan scoured his industry contacts, and when he couldn't find an effective solution, he leaned on his experience in electronics surveillance and countermeasures and decided to come up with a product himself.
Binj Laboratories was born. It expects to receive institutional funding through the Small Business Administration and other entities by next month that could go as high as $5 million, Noonan said.
The product, called CellScan, is a cell phone-locating network for prisons and jails. Noonan has been testing prototype systems with several state and federal agencies in New York, Massachusetts, Kentucky and other places, and expects to have a production version ready by the end of the month.
"Cell phone use within prisons is one of the biggest problems facing the corrections industry, and concern is growing nationally," said Alex Fox, director of security technology for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. "(Using a cell phone) criminals are continuing their criminal activities inside, or planning escapes or contacting victims on the outside."
Organized retail theft is a growing problem nationwide. It accounts for as much $34 billion across retail sectors, says the Coalition Against Organized Retail Theft in Washington, D.C.
IntelliVid's software enables retailers to immediately index closed-circuit video and track people or items throughout a store, giving them the ability to stop thieves as they operate.
"To stop theft, you need to know who is doing it and where it is taking place, immediately," said Patrick Sobalvarro, president and CEO of IntelliVid.
The software can separate people and objects, and track them from camera to camera, as well as index the video for future use. The company is also developing a wireless application that will let security personnel view live video on a handheld device from the store floor.
Flagship Ventures in Cambridge created the company in 2002, based on indexing software from MIT. IntelliVid has since filed for 10 more patents and closed two funding rounds totaling $9.5 million with Flagship, Egan Managed Capital and DFJ New England. Sobalvarro said the company plans to announced its largest funding to date later this month.
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