Heuresis Corp. says it has received a potential five-year $28.8 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity contract from Customs and Border Protection to provide handheld reflective X-Ray imagers, the first purchase of the technology by CBP
Heuresis, which is based in Massachusetts, will supply its HBI-120 keV imager, which is based on backscatter technology. OSI Systems’ [OSI] Rapiscan Systems division also bid for the contract.
“The Heuresis handheld HBI-120 is a small, lightweight backscatter X-Ray device that can be used to detect contraband, narcotics, weapons, etc., in hidden compartments,” a CBP spokesman tells HSR in an email response to questions about the contract. “This is CBP’s first foray into handheld screening. The X-Ray is powerful enough to penetrate about 2mm thick steel, which makes it useful for different applications in CBP operating environments. All components are integrated into one device, and that makes it easy to use by a single operator. The Heuresis has been tested at several CBP ports-of-entry and has received positive reviews by CBP personnel.”
“Our innovative HBI-120 has proven to be a highly effective tool for drug and terrorist interdiction programs conducted by federal, state and international law enforcement agencies,” says Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Heuresis. Ryan, who earlier ran the security business at Analogic, tells HSR that the primary focus markets for the company are the Department of Homeland Security and public safety.
Given the positive field trials, Ryan expects delivery orders to begin soon. The HB-120 weighs 7.5 pounds and displays images in real-time on an LCD touchscreen. Images are saved in the instrument’s memory.
The company says that last year it received a $4 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to develop a next-generation handheld reflective imaging instrument in support of advancing CBP requirements for conveyance and cargo inspection. Heuresis also says it has been selected by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the U.S. Department of State to deploy the HBI-120s to multiple locations. The WCO selected the system for its customs security initiative in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands and the State Department selected it to detect weapons, organics and other anomalies in vehicles at border and security checkpoints in Europe. The State Department award is worth $392,500 for nine units.
The WCO order puts the HB-120 in different countries, which will help seed the market overseas, Ryan says. He believes there will be follow-on orders from international customs agencies much the same way CBP has acquired the system.
Ryan says that Heuresis has sold a number of imaging units to state and local police and interdiction teams, sales that helped seed the market domestically and provided momentum for the CBP award. CBP in February issued a Request for Information on handheld X-Ray technologies.
The initial awards to the state and local agencies were for one or two units each but Ryan says these customers will eventually purchase more devices, “five to 10,” once they see the benefits. Talks for these larger purchases are underway, he says.
“We’re really creating the market with the 120 keV…type of instrument” due to the penetration capabilities of the device, Ryan says. He adds that field evaluations are “opening up brand new applications. It’s obvious this is the first time they’ve seen something that has the penetration and clarity of image that they hadn’t seen before.”
Heuresis is developing a next-generation 160 keV imager that is about a year or so away from being launched, Ryan says. The company wants to make sure the product “highly reliable” when it goes to market, he says.
Heuresis also plans within the next year to release some accessories for the HB-120 that enhances its effectiveness. Tests of these accessories are underway, he says, and they will be backward compatible with fielded units.