SPY TECH

USBATTERY

HIDE A SECRET

FLASH DRIVE IN AN

INNOCENT AA CELL.

M016

BY ANDREW LEWIS

KNOWLEDGE IN POWER: This hollow AA cell conceals a USB drive and uses a watch battery for “cover.”

Keeping secret documents out of enemy hands can be a challenge, especially if the bad guys are in the habit of stopping and searching you. Encryption is one thing, but it’s the art of steganography (hiding messages) that will ultimately save you from a small, hot room with no windows.

This project shows you how to make a USB flash data, looks just like a normal AA alkaline cell, and memory battery useful for storing secrets far from shows 1.5V if you test it. It’ll even power small prying eyes. The battery can store a gigabyte of electronic devices.

Photograph by Garry McLeod

80 Make: Volume 16