Explosives detectionTechnology for monitoring wine quality to improve airport security
A university of California Davis professor a magnetic resonance scanner — similar to machines used in medical scanning — to check the quality of wine; he then realized that the method could be used at airports to check bottles and cans for explosives without opening them; “I’m a tinkerer, I like to build stuff,” said Matthew Augustine, a chemistry professor at the school
A prototype of a machine that could be used at airports to check bottles and cans for explosives without opening them will be built by a University of California Davis professor who invented and patented the technology.
The Sacramento Business Journal reports that while professor Matthew Augustine will construct the prototype, DHS recently awarded a contract to defense firm Defense Capital Advisers LLC of Denver, Colorado, to develop Augustine’s technology for use in airport security.
The company will develop a magnetic resonance scanner — similar to machines used in medical scanning — for use at airports. MRI machines employ radio waves and a strong magnetic field to extract a signal that shows the chemical structure of what ever is being scanned.
Augustine originally developed the technology at UC Davis to check the quality of wine. Early tests showed the technology could distinguish gasoline or other dangerous liquids from innocuous substances, such as toothpaste. One challenge has been to design a system that’s capable of scanning containers in a wide range of sizes and shapes.
UC Davis is the lead subcontractor on the project.
