By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
When I was a little kid, my father would do the dad trick of pretending he could make the traffic lights turn green when we were driving. Somehow he always knew when they were going to turn. (Hey, I wasn’t always a snide know-it-all!) But even after adulthood revealed that sitting in lights is something none of us can control, here’s word of a $300 device called a MIRT that promises to make lights green with the simple press of a button. Apparently many traffic lights are built with hidden transmitters the police and fire departments can use to beam a signal and change the lights to green for safer passage through intersections. But thanks to the internet, cheapo knock-offs are being sold online. It is also now a federal crime to own one, but here’s some info from the world of MIRTs on how the technology works.
The traffic light changer, called the MIRT for mobile infrared transmitter, emits a beam with a 1,500-foot range to a receiver installed at the intersection, which changes the light immediately, allowing an intersection to clear before a fire or rescue truck approaches. The devices are normally installed on fire trucks and respond automatically. The MIRT requires the press of a button and plugs into the cigarette lighter. Unlike other devices, like radar jammers and certain laser detectors that emit radio signals, the MIRT and other signal changers emit an infrared beam, so it doesn’t run afoul of the Federal Communications Commission, said Chelsea Fallon, a spokeswoman for the agency. Source: The Detroit News
Alice Adds: While I love technology and how it can solve problems, this is a gray area that is dangerous business at best. Just like illegal cell phone jammers and even that wacky device that enabkles you to turn off TVs in airport lounges, people are clearly turning to technology to get the upper hand. It’s one thing to pull a prank, but messing with traffic lights is serious business.
UPDATE:
It is now a FEDERAL Offense to Sell or Use any Traffic Preemption device by an authorized user. This has been passed by the Safe Intersections Act of 2005, an addition to the tranist bill signed recently by President Bush. The Penalty is as follows:
`(a) Offenses-`(1) SALE- A person who knowingly sells a traffic signal preemption transmitter in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce to a person who is not acting on behalf of a public agency or private corporation authorized by law to provide fire protection, law enforcement, emergency medical services, transit services, maintenance, or other services for a Federal, State, or local government entity, shall, notwithstanding section 3571(b) of title 18, United States Code, be fined not more than $10,000, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.
`(2) USE- A person who makes unauthorized use of a traffic signal preemption transmitter in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce shall be fined not more than $10,000, imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both. Source: I-hacked.com
MIRT Site (If you really want to go to jail)
I think in many places these devices turn all the lights red, so not much use to anyone who doesn’t have permission to run a red light.
c h r o m e b o x
Fun with IR LEDs?
To play about video surveillance cameras, all you need is a hat covered with high output IR LED’s and a battery in the hat for power.
Humans will not see the IR LEDs when on, but to urban video surveillance cameras you will look like a walking light bulb! This prevents face recognition software from working as the cameras cannot see your face, just a bright light! No doubt this effect will be added to the next James Bond film script.
When IR LEDs are used behind standard perforated movie screens they produce a bright white spot on a digital video image if someone attempts to make an illegal video copy of a film.
Perhaps I need one over the license plates to thwart Red Light Cameras…
John: You’ve got some very clever ideas there. I like the IR hat idea.
And they make a spray you can put on your license plate to make the cameras unable to read your plate number.
I have done some looking up on this and I have found that instead of turning all lights red, it gives an advanced green or left turn signal in the direction of the MIRT. Also if two intersections are close together, it could affect two of them at the same time.