10 Badass Spy Gadgets That Are Almost Too Cool To Believe

Think spy technology is only used in the movies? Nope! Here are some crazy devices that are actually real and have been used in real life.

1. Face-Scanning Glasses

Elvert Barnes / CC BY-SA http://2.0 / Flickr: perspective

No, this is not "Robocop," and yes, they are real! The Brazilian Police will be wearing glasses with face-scanning software at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It can capture 400 facial images a second from about 50 meters away! They are using the glasses to help identify people involved in fights or other illegal activity.

2. DNA Capturing Pens

J Wynia / CC BY http://2.0 / Flickr: jwynia

These two pens are no joke! One of the pens is a weapon to fend off attackers, and the other pen captures DNA by taking a sample of the blood. Both pens can also be used for breaking glass.

3. The Lipstick Pistol

age fotostock / Getty Images / Via gizmag.com

This device was actually used in the mid-60s by the Russian KGB. The single shot weapon was called "The Kiss Of Death," and is now housed in the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C.

4. Sonic Nausea

Tomi Tapio Kärkkäinen / CC BY http://2.0 / Flickr: tomitapio / Via technabob.com

If you get caught spying, how do you get out of a tight predicament? Perhaps give the person perusing you an uneasy stomach? The gadget spits out "ultra-high frequency soundwaves which soon leads most in its vicinity to queasiness."

5. Pen Document Scanner

J Wynia / CC BY http://2.0 / Flickr: jwynia / Via thefutureofthings.com

Even new-school spies need to get a hold of paper documents. That's where the Pen Scanner comes in. The DocuPen RC800 lets you discreetly scan some papers while nobody is looking.

6. Unshredder

Sh4rp_i / CC BY http://2.0 / Flickr: 85638163@N00 / Via pcmag.com

So you found some documents, but they're shredded!? Just use "Unshredder," a computer program that reconstructs documents that have been shred in machines. It's much easier than trying to piece everything back together.

7. Maple Seed Camera

USGS Bee Inventory / CC BY http://2.0 / Flickr: usgsbiml / Via news.cnet.com

These tiny devices are used by the U.S. military. Each "seed" has a camera and wireless communications. They are being developed to detect chemical or biological weapons in war zones, and also to find survivors in disaster areas.

8. DrugWipe

half alive - soo zzzz / CC BY-ND http://2.0 / Flickr: batterypower / Via gizmodo.com

If you are a spy that needs to find drugs (or the government), DrugWipe could be useful to you. It's a small and portable drug test kit that can fit in a pocket. All DrugWipe needs is the saliva or sweat from a person, and it can test if someone has been taking illegal drugs.

9. Bomb-Proof Wallpaper

Bomb-proof wallpaper is useful for spies camping out in dangerous locations, (or it could be used for safety in natural disasters).

10. Automatic Speech Translators

For spies who work internationally, the speech translator application on cell phones is what they need. When making a phone call, the application will translate the speech to text right on the screen! Now you really can be James Bond, international spy.

Check out more wicked spy gadgets and technology in the webseries "Daybreak."

Daybreak is an action/adventure and innovative story about the magic of technology and its power to transform our lives and aid us in reaching our highest potential. As science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke once wrote, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Enter the experience at Daybreak.com.