Detection

Navy begins planning for next generation of EOD robots
Packbot, Talon, and Bombot are doing the job well, but the military wants to build a scalable system from the ground up; wireless communication a major concern due to interference from IED jammers; 2012 proposed production date
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Indiana researchers develop real-life tricorder
Star Trek-inspired mass spectrometer weighs less than twenty pounds; analysis can be done on surfaces outside the vacuum chamber; system detects biomarkers and explosives with ease; two Indiana companies rush into the market
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TraceGuard receives $800,000 in Israeli government funding
The generosity of the Office of Chief Scientist continues; New York-based company to continue work on automated trace extraction technology
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RealityMobile offers off-the-shelf situational control system
Relying on camera phones compatible with Palm OS or Windows Mobile 5.0, RealityVision system offers commanders unparalleled remote access to personnel on the ground
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Technest wins another Army NVESD sensor contract
$4.4 million contract will pay for the development of demining and counterming technologies; deal follows $10 million in earlier contracts with Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate
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iRobot shares suffer, but future looks bright
Company predicts lower-than-expected earnings in 2007; Roomba and PackBot make an unlikely kinship; coordinating networks of PackBots the next big challenge as Helen Grenier looks to develop packs of surveillance droids
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TSA finds most railroad security measures inadequate
$7 million study finds advanced explosives and screening methods suffer high false positive rates; yet traditional methods such as X-rays and canines suffer from poor economies of scale; study may upset congressional plans to boost railroad security spending
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DHS offers $58 million in new anti-nuclear research grants
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and the National Science Foundation team up to encourage research into sensors and radiation dispersal devices
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Livermore Lab introduces card-based explosives detection system
Disposable, self-contained system can fit in a wallet and requires little training to use; ampoules within the card contain the reagent materials, eliminating the need to handle chemicals; DHS, Mounties among current customers
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IED conference scheduled for April
Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization to hold a three-day conference in Leesburg, Virginia; event open to industry and academia, but attendees must possess secret clearances; Ike Skelton to give the keynote address
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Air Force deploys mobile bioweapons detection labs
Equipped with $100,000 in equipment, the trailer can quickly identify fourteen biological agents; McConnell Air Force Base plays host; mobile testing marches on
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"Speed bump" IEDs continue to plague forces in Iraq
With EFPs suddenly in the limelight, it is important to keep in mind other IED threats; speed bump IEDs are simple to manufacture, easy to conceal, and require no Iranian assistance; V-shaped hulls and mine rollers among established defensive techniques, but more are needed
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Senate to clash with House over container 100% inspection provision
The House voted to mandate 100% inspection of U.S.-bound frieght containers; a Senate panel agrees with the Bush administration that the measure would be too costly
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Boeing wins $11 million UUV refurbishment and testing contract
Industry heavyweight will give the AN/BLQ-11 Long-term Mine Reconnaissance System a thorough going-over; system capable of twelve hours of autonomous reconnaissance before docking itself through the torpedo tube; testing to begin at Puget Sound and Bahamas
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Iraqi troops demonstrate unusual IED clearing method
Unschooled in advanced techniques, soldiers play kick the can; American observers horrified; worries grow about ability of Iraqi army to manage on its own
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