A visitor at the 'MILIPOL' International State Security Exhibition tests the sight of a Beretta automatic weapon at Le Bouget, northern Paris, November 21, 2001. For the twelfth time the annual exhibition presents the latest in police, civil defense and military security equipment. [Reuters]

Demand for hi-tech spy gadgets and weapons has soared since September 11 and companies are scrambling to invent more as governments beef up security in response to global jitters.

Sipping champagne among racks of guns, government and corporate representatives at a trade fair in Paris this week checked out the latest systems, including exploding robots and remote-controlled spy planes.

``It looks very James Bond, but it is very professional and not a toy,'' Francois Mottin from French firm Exavision said, as his robot surveillance invention whizzed past.

``People knew a lot of these technologies existed before but they were unwilling to invest in them. Since September 11 we have had a lot more interest because security has become such a top priority.'' Exavision says that at 18 lbs., the remote-controlled robot is the smallest of its kind in the world. It carries two sets of explosives and can relay pictures day or night from hostile environments while soldiers or police keep a safe distance.

Anthrax detector

Some exhibitors at the Milipol fair in the northern Paris suburb Le Bourget said they had started work on new inventions since the attacks -- either at the request of governments or because investors want to cash in on heightened terrorism fears.

Swedish biotechnology company Biosensor reckons it will not be long before it can harness its drug detection technology, which vacuums up grains of narcotics like heroin, to home in on anthrax spores.

Trade fair organizers said the hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington had pushed visitor numbers up to 25,000 this year from 20,000 in 1999, when the fair was last held in Paris.

Personalized gun holders

Near a stand of bullet-proof vests, visitors marveled at a personalized gun holder, which recognizes its owner's fingerprints if an impostor tries to fire it.

The holder is not yet on the market but Michaels company said advance orders were already pouring in, and it expected a knock-on effect from increased firearm sales in the United States since September 11.

British company Aurora Computer Services Ltd said they were pioneering a facial recognition airport security system that would mean officials could instantly check passengers against lists of wanted terrorists.

(Agencies)