Detection

New three-in-one detection device
Lawrence Livermore researchers develop a “universal point detection system” which can detect explosive, chemical, and biological agents all at the same time
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U.K. Grand Challenge mini-vehicle competition held this weekend
Eleven teams made it to the final of the U.K. Ministry of Defense mini-vehicle competition, aiming to promote devising highly autonomous vehicles capable of identifying threats that are being encountered by U.K. troops on overseas operations
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Amtrak purchased additional Sabre 4000 from Smiths Detection
Rail operator buys additional hand-held IMS detection devices better to detect and identify explosives, narcotics, chemical warfare agents, and toxic industrial chemicals on trains and in stations
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QRSciences Holdings acquires Spectrum San Diego
The acquisition will boost QRSciences’ product offering of security related applications including the detection of explosives and narcotics, metal detection and imaging
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New fingerprint reading method detects explosives, drugs
Boilermakers researchers develop a system which can detect traces of explosives, drugs, or other materials left behind in fingerprints — and can also distinguish between overlapping fingerprints left by different individuals
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UNDT provides anthrax detection gear to Beijing Olympics
Universal Detection Technology delivers anthrax detection equipment to Beijing; the detection equipment is capable of detecting not only anthrax, but also ricin toxin, botulinum toxin, plague, and SEBs
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New DNA sequencing techniques convince FBI of Ivins's culpability
Since 2001 techniques for sequencing microbial DNA have vastly improved and there has been a massive effort to sequence more anthrax samples
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NIST tighten rules after plutonium spill in lab
On 9 June about 1/4 gram of powdered plutonium spilled from a vial at a NIST lab in Boulder, Colorado; an investigative committee found that a failure in the safety management system was exacerbated by a “casual and informal research environment that appears to have valued research results above safety considerations”
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TSA testing shoe scanning technology
he Transportation Security Administration is testing show scanning machines from L2 Communications; this is a step toward eventually allowing passengers to keep their shoes on when they go through the security checkpoint
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People power is new weapon against Olympic terrorism
In addition to the latest anti-terrorist technology, the city of Beijing is enlisting the city’s 15 million citizens as anti-terror eyes-and-ears for the coming Olympic Games
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Smiths Detection expands German facility
To meet growing demand for its Advanced Threat Identification X-ray (aTiX) systems, Smiths Detection opens a 4,000 m2 production facility in Wiesbaden, Germany
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WHO, IAEA is simulated nuclear accident drill
The World Health Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency collaborate in a nuclear accident drill at the Laguna Verde nuclear power plant in Mexico
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GAO strongly criticizes DoE over Hanford clean-up
More than 210 million liters of radioactive and chemical waste are stored in 177 underground tanks at Hanford in Washington State; most are more than fifty years old; GAO says there now “serious questions about the tanks’ long-term viability”
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French authorities ban water use following nuclear leak
Safety agencies in France are playing down the risk to public health from Tuesday’s uranium leak at the Tricastin nuclear plant, but water-usage bans have worried skeptical residents and environmental organizations
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UC researcher helps develop device to detect explosives
Researchers from the University of California-Riverside and the University of Connecticut develop hand-held electronic device that can detect the presence of explosives in high-risk areas where bomb-sniffing dogs are now the best tools for detection
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