The CIA Has A Flickr Gallery Including Photos Of Some Of Their Declassified Toys

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CIA's Spy Gear (Images courtesy the CIA)
By Andrew Liszewski

Easily the best part of the old James Bond films was when 007 stopped by Q’s laboratory to load up on multi-function gadgets, and occasionally pick up his new ride. But it turns out that Q’s creations didn’t only exist in the imaginations of Hollywood propmakers. The CIA actually had their own team dedicated to making authentic spy gadgets, and as part of recently relaunching their website, they now have a Flickr gallery showing off some of their declassified toys.

Charlie the robot fish was built to study underwater robot technology, and came complete with a pressurized hull, a ballast system for diving and ascending, wireless communications and even a propulsion system in his tail. And the roots and um… what appears to be ‘droppings’ are actually Cold War-era seismic intrusion detectors that can pick up the movement of people or animals up to 300 meters away and alert a nearby spy thanks to a built-in antenna and transmitter.

CIA's Spy Gear (Images courtesy the CIA)

And if you’ve ever wondered if someone has tampered with your mail, there’s a good chance they might of thanks to this letter removal device. Its pincers could be slipped into the unsealed gap at the top of an envelope and then discreetly extract the contents after rolling them up. Note to self: never mail a check to the CIA…

[ Flickr – CIAgov’s photostream ] VIA [ Slashdot ]

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