Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
The extremely dangerous and difficult task of detecting explosive devices could soon be getting easier, thanks to a new stamp-sized sensor developed by GE Global Research that offers a cheap and portable way of automating the process and keeping people out of harm’s way.
According to Gizmodo, GE has been developing the new RFID sensor in collaboration with the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG), an anti-terrorism task force. The device takes RFID tags and places sensing material to the side, and while the company is being understandably quiet about exactly how they work, the materials respond to explosive and oxidizing agents.
The creators claim that the device is “quite sensitive” and can detect explosives in the vicinity. GE said that it covers an area up to 12 feet away and can work for months without needing to be replaced. Furthermore, they only cost pennies to produce in bulk (in theory, at least) and could be used in places like airports and cargo ports, the website added.
A godsend for public safety officials
If the device operates as planned, it could be a godsend for public safety officials, as according to Wired, current handheld explosive detectors are larger (about the size of a purse) and still have to be manually operated. Unmanned, permanently-mounted sensors are even bigger, and while dogs can be used in some situations, they can be expensive to deploy and required handlers.
GE’s RFID tag-based device will activate only when it detects certain types of explosive material or oxidizing agents, essentially replacing much larger explosive scanners with an instrument that is just a few inches across and can be assembled for around a nickel. The tags transmit data using electromagnetic fields, similar to key cards used to unlock doors and EZPass toll transponders.
The company told Wired that it has developed “a sensing material that responds to explosives and oxidizers” that can be built into the device. GE scientist Radislav Potyrailo added that the tags were similar to a CO2 sensor or smoke alarm, and that the company had “developed sensing materials that are quite sensitive for this type of detection.”
Next up: biological sensors
Currently, the GE and the TSWG are focusing on detection of explosives and oxidizers, which are often used in improvised explosive devices. However, the team also told reporters that there are plans to develop similar devices capable of detecting spores, bacteria or other biological materials. The tags could become commercially available within the next few years.
In a statement, Potyrailo, principal investigator on the project, said that the sensors “could dramatically increase the accuracy and improve the limits of detection of dangerous chemical threats. Fast and accurate chemical detection and quantitation are vital to help ensuring the safety of cargo that passes through our nation’s ports.”
“In airports today, bulky, stationary desktop systems typically screen for explosives,” he added. “Suspicious surfaces are swabbed and separately analyzed, consuming substantial time, space and power. Compared to a conventional desktop detector, our system is 300 times smaller, and reduces weight and power use 100 fold. To achieve needed accuracy, GE’s approach simplifies detection by using an individual sensor rather than relying on arrays of multiple sensors.”
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