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Companies Partner on Biological Detection and Identification Systems

Two bio-monitoring technology producers have come together to address the market need for biothreat detectors for clients dependent on accurate, rapid environmental assessments. Innovative Biosensors, Inc. (IBI) of Rockville, MD, and Universal Detection Technology, (UDT) a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies will team to market and distribute their respective and complimentary products to protect people from bioterrorism threats in indoor and outdoor environments. IBI's proprietary BioFlash biological identifier is rugged, portable, and incorporates a high-volume aerosol sampler. UDT's BSM-2000 is an autonomous air monitoring system capable of detecting abnormal levels of airborne bacterial spores such as anthrax.

Camera Brings Vast Improvement For Surveillance

Researchers have developed a wide-angle camera that will be able to provide security forces with the ability to monitor large areas through high-resolution images taken from a satellite or an airborne craft, according to researcher David Pollock. It was Pollock who first discovered that if you point a large number of lenses toward a common point, and then make a small correction on each of the lenses, you provide a camera with capabilities that far surpass existing technologies. "If you look at high-resolution images taken by satellite or aircraft, the field-of-view in those photographs is tiny," he said. "This camera provides anyone with the ability to view the entire scene and, simultaneously, zoom in closely on a certain area with very high resolution at real time. "Flying at an altitude of 15,000 feet, a developmental version of the camera can see a 21-kilometer diameter area with a resolution of 0.3 meters. Pollock said the camera could have far-reaching implications for the military, crime prevention and enforcement as well as traffic analysis and emergency response support. The giga-pixel camera will fit in a one-meter cube, could be flown on any type of vehicle - airplanes, helicopters, blimps or unmanned aerial vehicles.

Canine Cargo Security

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has launched a new canine program to enhance explosives detection capabilities in air cargo facilities nationwide. The launch of this program marks the first time that TSA is training its own employees to be explosives detection canine handlers. The agency will train and certify more than 400 explosives detection canine teams, composed of one dog and one handler, during the next two years. Eighty-five of these teams will be TSA employee-led and will primarily search cargo bound for passenger-carrying aircraft. The first TSA teams graduated after a 10-week training course at Lackland AFB, San Antonio. The teams are expected to be fully operational this summer. TSA handlers will be non-law enforcement employees and will complement the 496 TSA-certified state and local law enforcement teams currently deployed to 70 airports and 14 mass transit systems. The new teams will enhance flexibility in the air cargo environment and allow TSA to surge resources when there is a heightened threat in any transportation system.

All Clear at D.C. Airports

Clear, the fast pass for airport security, has officially opened lanes at Reagan National and Dulles International airports. DC-area fliers can now have faster passage through airport security at both airports no matter where or which airline they fly. Clear has signed up about 3,500 people in the Washington metropolitan area and more than 118,000 people nationwide. Clear members are pre-screened by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and, after application approval, are provided with a card that allows exclusive access to Clear's security lanes nationwide. The innovative, high-tech Clear card verifies a fingerprint or iris image selected by members during enrollment. "Finally, we have a chance to see the registered traveler program in action," said Rep. Dan Lungren. "I have always believed we could combine customer friendly innovation with a continued commitment to aviation security. This is one more step in that direction."

New Facets for Diamonds

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has expanded its Black Diamond Self-Select Lanes to Boston-Logan, Orlando and Spokane International airports. Salt Lake City and Denver International airports instituted the self-select lane process in February. Both pilots have resulted in an overall increase in throughput and greatly increased customer satisfaction. The term "Black Diamond" comes from the signs used in skiing to denote skill level suggested for specific runs. The self-select pilots are comprised of a series of lanes designated by signage that directs passengers based on their travel needs and knowledge - Expert, for the business traveler who flies several times a month; Casual, for passengers that travel less frequently, but are familiar with the security process; and Family/Special Assistance, for passengers traveling with small children or strollers, elderly passengers and passengers who may need special assistance. At least an additional three airports are expected to begin the program by the end of April.

New Technology Can "See" Explosives Hidden Under Clothing

A unique security imaging technology can "see" explosives, liquids, narcotics, weapons, plastics and ceramics hidden under clothing from 25 meters. Developed by ThruVision, a spin out company of the UK's Science and Technology Facility Council Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), the T5000 passive terahertz imaging system is set to drastically improve security at high profile sites. The only commercially available camera of its kind in the world, the T5000 can image both metallic and non-metallic threat objects hidden under clothing on still or moving subjects without revealing any body detail. Compact, rugged, portable, easy-to-use and completely safe, it can be used both indoors and outdoors up to a distance of 25m. It delivers a powerful new capability for security personnel at international airports and other high-security points of interest.

ThruVision's passive imaging technology stems from a collaborative European Space Agency (ESA) project, which was based on original research carried out over many years by UK astronomers. The T5000 operates in the terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum - frequently this region of the spectrum is referred to with terms such as Terahertz rays, or T-rays. T-rays are a form of low level energy naturally emitted from all materials, including rocks, plants, animals and people. They can pass through smoke, clouds and many solid materials like clothing, and in some cases, even walls. The T5000 passively collects these naturally occurring T-rays and processes them to form images that reveal concealed objects hidden under a person's clothing without displaying physical body detail and without subjecting them to any of the harmful radiation associated with traditional X-ray security screening.

Scientists Develop Sensors for Homemade Bombs

A team of chemists and physicists at the University of California, San Diego has developed a tiny, inexpensive sensor chip capable of detecting trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide, a chemical used in the most common form of homemade explosives. The invention and operation of this penny-sized electronic sensor is capable of sniffing out hydrogen peroxide vapor in the parts-per-billion range from peroxide-based explosives, such as those used in the 2005 bombing of the London transit system. "The detection capability of this tiny electronic sensor is comparable to current instruments, which are large, bulky and cost thousands of dollars each," said William Trogler, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCSD and one of its inventors. "If this device were mass produced, it's not inconceivable that it could be made for less than a dollar." The sensor works by monitoring the variability of electrical conductivity through thin films of "metal phthalocyanines." When exposed to most oxidizing agents, such as chlorine, these metal films show an increase in electrical current, while reducing agents have the opposite effect--a decrease of electrical current. But when exposed to hydrogen peroxide, an oxidant, the metal phthalocyanine films behave differently depending on the type of metal used. Films made of cobalt phthalocyanine show decreases in current, while those made from copper or nickel show increases in current. Funding for the research study was provided by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.