Spotlight

“One of the world’s foremost academic experts in GPS spoofing—University of Texas assistant professor Todd Humphreys—released a short video on Monday showing how he and his students deceived the GPS equipment aboard an expensive superyacht.

Humphreys conducted the test in the Ionian Sea in late June 2013 and early July 2013 with the full consent of the “White Rose of Drachs” yacht captain. His work shows just how vulnerable and relatively easy it is to send out a false GPS signal and trick the on-board receiver into believing it.”

Continue reading the Ars Technica article.

“The world’s GPS system is vulnerable to hackers or terrorists who could use it to hijack ships—even commercial airliners, according to a frightening new study that exposes a huge potential hole in national security.

Using a laptop, a small antenna and an electronic GPS “spoofer” built for $3,000, GPS expert Todd Humphreys and his team at the University of Texas took control of the sophisticated navigation system aboard an $80 million, 210-foot super-yacht in the Mediterranean Sea. “We injected our spoofing signals into its GPS antennas and we’re basically able to control its navigation system with our spoofing signals,” Humphreys told Fox News.”

Continue reading the Fox News article.

Watch the Special Edition video report.

Additional local Austin coverage:

• KTBC article 
• KVUE article 
• KEYE article 
• KRGV article 
• CBS DFW article

“It’s not just birds and planes in the sky anymore — drones are on the rise. But how much do we know about the flying machines? As the technology progresses, it appears that the aerial devices are also getting smarter.

Drones come in a variety of shapes and sizes that range from the small, radio-controlled devices flown by hobbyists to military machines larger than a human. But there are a few ways to identify and categorize them.”

Contine reading the CBS article that features and interview with Dr. Humphreys.

“Web forums in the U.K. are buzzing about photos depicting a possible weaponized drone in China. Wired Magazine reports experts are pointing to the so called Li-Jian — or Sharp Sword — an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle. A recent Pentagon report predicts the Chinese military will soon unveil new long-range drones.

Domestic drones are getting more attention from the government in New Jersey. State legislators want to restrict all drone use in the state unless there’s a terrorist attack. A more lenient bill is also being considered. It would allow firefighters and police to use unmanned aerial vehicles.”

Continue listening to the Marketplace audio clip that features and interview with Dr. Humphreys.

RNL presented at the 2013 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, TX, which offers the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies.

On Wednesday, March 6, Dr. Humphreys presented at “Drones.edu: Hands on the Future in the Classroom.”

On Friday, March 8, Dr. Humphreys presented “Extreme GPS: Limits of Security & Precision”
To listen to the audio click here.
To download the presentation click here. 

“Todd Humphreys and his students at the University of Texas in Austin are tired of waiting for augmented reality that meets the promise of the technology we’ve been hearing about and seeing in science fiction for years now. So they set out to build it themselves, and presented a very rough prototype for the first time at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival (SXSW) in Austin on Friday.”

Continue reading the gizmag article.

Austin, TX—Zak Kassas received the Research Excellence Award, which is awarded by the Graduate Engineering Council at the Graduate and Industry Networking (GAIN) Event. This award is granted to the best 10 graduate engineering research presentations out of 75 presentations at the GAIN Event as judged by representatives from the industry and faculty. GAIN is a broad Networking opportunity and an academically rigorous competition that allows The Cockrell School of Engineering to showcase its best and brightest graduate students.

Zak’s research focuses on devising novel techniques for opportunistic and collaborative navigation.