Industry News

InfoSec Global and Airbus Announce Strategic Partnership to Enhance Cybersecurity Through Cryptographic Agility Management

InfoSec Global Schweiz, a provider of cryptographic agility management solutions, and Airbus Defence and Space and Airbus Cybersecurity, have announced they will join forces for the development of cybersecurity and cryptographic agility management solutions.

Formalized by a Framework Cooperation Agreement, the companies have shown their firm commitment to advance a strategic partnership to deliver enhanced solutions to customers who are operating under particularly demanding security requirements. The two companies will jointly develop and deliver innovative solutions to identify and remediate cryptographic vulnerabilities while protecting critical digital ecosystems. 

“InfoSec Global has unique subject-matter expertise and technology in the field of cryptographic agility management,” stated Julien Probst, global head of product, InfoSec Global. “Through this collaboration we will reinforce Switzerland’s national cyber resilience and ensure long-term data privacy and sovereignty. We look forward to leveraging our joint capabilities to help Switzerland better control its critical cryptographic technologies, and use it as a model for helping other governments and nations do the same.”

Dr. Bernhard Brenner, Airbus Defence and Space executive vice-president marketing and sales, said: “Airbus Defence and Space is committed to the highest standards in our cyber security applications. Through this cooperation with InfoSec Global, we will further strengthen our solutions to protect governments, defence, critical infrastructure and enterprises from increasingly complex cyber threats. This cooperation is another example of Airbus’ cooperation with Swiss partners, especially in the security-relevant technology and industry base.”

The two companies say they will continue to collaborate on strategic projects currently underway in Switzerland while scaling the partnership and broadening its reach across additional countries around the world.

Industry News

Sarcos Robotics Selected as Finalist for Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards

Sarcos Robotics, a developer of robots that augment humans to enhance productivity and safety, announced that its Guardian XO full-body, battery-powered industrial exoskeleton has been selected as a finalist by Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing IdeasAwards. The Guardian XO robot was named a Finalist in the Best Changing Idea North America and General Excellence categories with award selection to be named on May 10, 2021. Sarcos Robotics announced that it will become publicly listed through a merger transaction with Rotor Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.

Now in its fifth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcases winners across a wide variety of categories, highlighting businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged in and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality. The award winners will be featured in the Summer 2021 issue of Fast Company, on newsstands May 10, 2021. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected the winners and finalists from a pool of more than 4,000 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, and more.

The Guardian XOfull-body, battery-powered industrial exoskeleton is designed to allow a worker to safely lift up to 200 pounds and improve productivity by at least three times. Sarcos is targeting a variety of industries such as manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, construction, oil and gas, aviation, defense, and others, and expects to commercially release the Guardian XO exoskeleton in mid-2022 with beta units being launched in the second half of 2021.

“We are proud to be recognized yet again by Fast Company, this time for the prestigious World Changing Ideas Awards,” said Ben Wolff, chairman and CEO of Sarcos Robotics. “Our Guardian XO industrial exoskeleton was created to address the high economic and social costs of occupational injuries, as well as the significant skilled labor shortages that are being experienced globally. We believe it has significant potential to transform a wide variety of industries by increasing productivity, decreasing work-related injuries, and broadening the number of workers able to perform physically demanding labor.”

“There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times,” said Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “So, it’s important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems. Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020.”

Industry News

South Korea to Launch Vaccine Passport App Using Blockchain

South Korea’s Prime Minister, Chung Sye-kyun, announced the country will begin using vaccine passport app that is secured with Blockchain. The Prime Minister said the mobile app will allow international travelers to show proof of vaccination digitally. The app is scheduled to be launched in April.

“The introduction of a vaccine passport or ‘Green Pass’ will only allow those who have been vaccinated to experience the recovery to their daily lives,” the Prime Ministrer said in a meeting. Blockchain in the app will help to prevent fakes.

Industry News

Veridos and idpeople Win ePassport Tender in Denmark

The Kingdom of Denmark, represented by the Danish National Police, has enlisted Veridos, a provider of integrated identity solutions, and the Danish ID specialist idpeople to design, produce and personalize new electronic passports. The integration of Veridos high-end security features will enhance the security of the new travel documents. The first passports will be issued in October 2021.

Following a public tender, the National Police of Denmark has awarded the contract for ePassport production to a consortium of Veridos and its Danish partner idpeople. The two companies are starting to develop the new Danish passports immediately, and will be responsible for their production for a period of seven years. Veridos will design and manufacture the new security-optimized passports for Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The personalization and distribution of standard, express and fast track passports will take place at idpeople in Skovlunde, near Copenhagen. idpeople will also manage customer service with the authorities in Denmark.

The new electronic passports are produced in accordance with the highest security standards of the EU and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The document consists of 32 pages including a polycarbonate data page, which contains the electronic chip. A total of seven different passport types will be available: a standard Danish national passport, a diplomatic passport, a service passport, an alien’s passport, a travel document for refugees, and national passports for citizens of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and a paper-based emergency passport.

As with the current Danish passport series, the design of the new ePassport features the Jelling stones as a recognition motif. These 10th-century rune stones are strongly associated with the founding of Denmark as a nation state. 

“This project is a confirmation of our previous success in providing state-of-the-art passport solutions to governments worldwide,” explains Veridos CEO Andreas Räschmeier. “The new Danish ePassport is in line with all the requirements of a modern travel document. It is secure and forgery-proof, and its electronic components meet all citizens’ expectations of being able to cross borders easily and efficiently. The document will thus become a flagship of the modern Nordic country.”

“We are looking forward to this task and to utilizing our expertise of governmental ID security documentation and our platform as a high-security service bureau,” adds Jesper Mikkelsen, owner and CEO of idpeople. “idpeople has a long history of delivering high-end ID security solutions to governments and private companies, and this contract emphasizes idpeople’s position as the leading personalization center for ID documents in Denmark.”

Industry News

Dankanikote Named SVP of Business Development for Defense and Civilian Sector at SAIC

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) announced that Ravi Dankanikote was named senior vice president of business development for the company’s Defense and Civilian Sector, reporting to Bob Genter, president of SAIC Defense and Civilian Sector. In his new position, Dankanikote will be responsible for all aspects of the sector’s business development life cycle activities, including demand creation, shaping, capture, proposal execution, and campaigns.

Dankanikote comes to SAIC from CACI, where he worked for 27 years. There, he most recently served as senior vice president of strategic growth and GWAC operations. In that role, he was responsible for executing an enterprise-wide business development and capture strategy that ensured DOD and Civilian customers were able to acquire complex, mission critical needs in a timely manner. Prior to that role, he served as senior vice president of business development for their Enterprise Solutions and Services Group.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ravi to SAIC and to add his experience and expertise to our newly-established Defense and Civilian Sector,” said Genter. “Ravi brings with him a strong track record of winning business and a focus on creating differentiated business development strategies. He has also demonstrated a deep understanding of the competitive government IT landscape as well as how to cultivate longstanding customer relationships.”

Dankanikote also chairs the Business Development Council for Executive Mosaic and was a former chair of the Business Council for WashingtonExec. He is a member of AFCEA and other Defense-related non-profit organizations. 

Dankanikote holds a master’s degree in Computer Science from Shippensburg University and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from R V College of Engineering in Bangalore, India.

Evolv Technology Unveils Thermal Imaging Package
Industry News

Evolv Technology Unveils Thermal Imaging Package

Evolv Technology has unveiled the Evolv Thermal Imaging Package for Evolv Express. The new optional capability allows venues to screen each visitor or employee for elevated skin temperature followed by touchless weapons screening. Optimising use of space by being physically integrated with Evolv Express, the package comprises a thermal sensor and the Evolv TempCheck™ application. This adds the elevated skin temperature detection capability to Evolv’s Cortex AI™ software platform, which allows visitors to be screened for potential signs of health risk.

Evolv’s touchless security screening is one that addresses the threat of a pandemic disease as well as concealed weapons. Evolv Express can screen up to 3,600 people per hour. Venue personnel can direct those with elevated readings to secondary screening. As a result, venues reduce the risk of their guards, visitors and employees being exposed to individuals presenting signs of virus infection. With this optional add-on package, venues can screen 800-1,300 people per dual-lane Evolv Express.

Industry News

Pangea Introduces Platform for Issuing Covid-19 Immunity Passports

Pangea, which specialises in digital transformation of government and business services, has devised an end-to-end platform that would enable governments to issue a biometric smart card to verify that the holder is virus-free or has immunity.

Pangea’s solution involves the use of a smart card, which serves as an immunity ‘passport’ allowing the holder to enter airport terminals and airplanes and removing the fear of spreading the virus to others. The card comprises a photo of the holder, a digital signature, a chip, and a hologram. The card can be securely linked to the country’s medical database and includes up-to-date encrypted data on the holder’s COVID-19 profile.

The issuing process would be overseen by the health ministry of each country and in cooperation with local health providers and hospitals. In addition, the issuing of the card would require the close cooperation of tourism ministries, airports, airlines, and insurance companies. The issuing of this type of card will necessitate close coordination of the countries whose citizens will be travelling between them.

Industry News

XRT4 Deployed for CATSA

CASRA has announced that, since January 2020, their X-ray Tutor 4 (XRT4) is in operation at all 89 airports in Canada under the supervision of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA). The project for the transition from XRT3 to XRT4 started in spring 2019. XRT4 will be used by CATSA for initial and recurrent computer-based image interpretation training and testing for another three years, with the option of a five-year extension.

Industry News

Astrophysics Releases COVID-19 Safety Shield

Astrophysics has announced the launch of their top- and side-mounted Safety Shields for X-ray security checkpoints. Astrophysics’ Safety Shields offer protection from the spread of harmful germs, including COVID-19. Designed to physically separate screening personnel from the public, the barriers safeguard normal business and security interactions.

The Safety Shields are manufactured with polycarbonate plastic and offer a blend of durability and stability. Simple to install and easy to clean, the shields can be transferred from one machine to another and are compatible with most checkpoint systems.

Japan's National Police Agency Orders New Airbus Helicopters
Industry News

Japan’s National Police Agency Orders New Airbus Helicopters

Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) has ordered one new H225 and four H135 helicopters from Airbus as part of its fleet modernisation programme. Currently operating twelve H135, four H155 and six AS365 helicopters, with one H215 and two H225 already on order, the NPA deploys its growing fleet for missions including law enforcement, personnel and VIP transport, goods transportation, disaster relief, as well as wide area support. The five new helicopters will complement the agency’s law enforcement capabilities.