SmartArmor
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Smart Cube turns any drawer into a Bluetooth-controlled lockbox
One of the latest devices to go from crowdfunding to CES is this Bluetooth-connected lock from Smart Armor. The Cube uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to pair with your phone, and can unlock whenever it's in range (or from further away, if you have a Bluetooth router or other device to control it). Simply mount the device in a drawer or box that you'd prefer remain closed to prying eyes, fingers or other appendages, and it can tighten closed. Even if someone tries to tamper with the device, it will send out an alert. Mounted with double-sided tape, it can stand up to 100 pounds of force, or owners can mount it with the provided holes.
Dragon Skin body armor gains piezoelectric sensors, keeps bullet-stopping abilities
This Dragon Skin armor has been knocking about since 2007, but now that piezoelectrics and intelligence have been thrown into the mix we couldn't stop ourselves from taking a peek at it. The armor's strength is derived from a reptilian arrangement of overlapping ceramic and titanium composite discs, which simultaneously block incoming rounds and dissipate the impact to a wider area. What's interesting about the new design is the two piezoelectric sensors attached to each end -- one of them transfers a low voltage of power through the armor in the form of vibration, which the other picks up, and the reported energy loss is interpreted as armor degradation. Gnarlier still is the ability of these sensors to generate electricity from bullet impacts, which can then themselves give you an indication of what sort of bullet hit you. Capable of being applied to soldiers and vehicles alike, this could make the real act of soldiering a whole lot more like a video game (minus the whole "infinite respawn" thing), with HUDs showing you how much "shield" you have left. You can see an old(ish) video of the original armor after the break.
