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Robot Fish "Charlie" The CIA's Office of Advanced Technologies and Programs developed the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) fish to study aquatic robot technology. The UUV fish contains a pressure hull, ballast system, and communications system in the body and a propulsion system in the tail.![Robot_Fish_Charlie]()
Robo-Fish The fish contains a pressure hull, ballast system, and communications system in the body and a propulsion system in the tail. It is controlled by a wireless line-of-sight radio handset.![Enigma_Machine_2]()
Enigma Machine During World War II, the Germans used the Enigma, a cipher machine, to develop nearly unbreakable codes for sending messages. The Enigma's settings offered 150,000,000,000,000,000,000 possible solutions, yet the Allies were eventually able to crack its code.![Enigma_Machine]()
Enigma Machine By the end of the war, 10 percent of all German Enigma communications were decoded at Bletchley Park, in England, on the world’s first electromagnetic computers.![M_209_Cipher_Device]()
M-209 Cipher Device The M-209 is a mechanical cipher device. Designed by Boris Hagelin, the machine was widely used by the U.S. Army during World War II. Compact and portable, it used a series of rotors to encode and decode secret military messages.![Dragonfly_Insectothopter]()
Dragonfly "Insectothopter" Developed by the CIA’s Office of Research and Development in the 1970s, this micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was the first flight of an insect-sized aerial vehicle (Insectothopter). It was an initiative to explore the concept of intelligence collection by miniaturized platforms.![Semi_Submersible_Sub]()
Semi-Submersible The CIA designed and manufactured this two-man semi-submersible in the 1950s. It carried no weapons, was cramped, had limited endurance, and required a "mother ship" for transport and recovery. However, the vessel could approach areas ships could not.![Coded_Ladies_Compact]()
Concealment Device (Ladies Make-Up Compact) A code is a system of communication in which groups of symbols represent words. Codes may be used for brevity or security. Here, a code is concealed inside the mirror of a lady's make-up compact. By tilting the mirror at the correct angle, the code is revealed.![Belly_Buster_Drill_Kit]()
"Belly Buster" Hand-Crank Audio Drill The CIA used the “Belly Buster” drill during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It would drill holes into masonry for implanting audio devices. After assembly, the base of the drill was held firmly against the stomach while the handle was cranked manually. This kit came with several drill bits and accessories.![Tobacco_Pouch_Camera]()
Tobacco Pouch Camera A miniature 35-mm film camera manufactured in Switzerland is concealed in this modified tobacco pouch. A spring-wound mechanism advances the film between exposures.![Stereoscope]()
Stereoscope and Case The stereoscope was used during World War II. This tool helped allied photo interpreters, who analyzed images of enemy territory taken by airplane-mounted cameras, to view the film in 3D.![Silver_Dollar_Container]()
"Silver Dollar" Hollow Container This coin may appear to be an Eisenhower silver dollar, but it is really a concealment device. It was used to hide messages or film so they could be sent secretly. Because it looks like ordinary pocket change, it is almost undetectable.![Seismic_Intrustion_Devices]()
Seismic Intruder Detection Device This Cold War-Era intrusion detector was designed to blend in with the terrain. It can detect movement of people, animals, or objects up to 300 meters away. The device is powered by tiny power cells and has a built-in antenna. Its transmitter relays data from the device findings via coded impulses.![Pigeon_Camera]()
Pigeon Camera The CIA’s Office of Research and Development developed a camera small and light enough to be carried by a pigeon. It would be released, and on its return home the bird would fly over a target. Being a common species, its role as an intelligence collection platform was concealed in the activities of thousands of other birds. Pigeon imagery was taken within hundreds of feet of the target so it was much more detailed than other collection platforms.CIA Unveils James Bond-Worthy Spy Tech
Did U.S. secret agents really use robotic catfish to spy? Or hide cameras in makeup compacts? Or hide secret documents in cigarette packs, or even false coins? Yes. And the CIA has just unveiled the pictures that prove it.
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- CIA Unveils James Bond-Worthy Spy Tech
