Implant Sciences [IMSC] has received a potential $2 million contract from the Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to integrate explosives trace detection (ETD) technology into existing X-Ray systems used at aviation security checkpoints to perform real-time automated detection of explosives in carry-on luggage, the company says.
“We believe the next-generation of ETDs can significantly further increase passenger safety, reduce false positives, and create a better travel experience with respect to security screening,” Glenn Bolduc, Implant’s president and CEO, says in a statement.
One of the key challenges Implant will be tackling under the contract, which has multiple phases, is to improve sampling technology so that the trace detector component has a large enough air sample to work with, Bill McGann, Implant’s chief operating officer, tells HSR on Oct. 28 at the annual AVSEC World conference hosted by the International Air Transport Association.
Implant current offers two ETD systems to the security screening marketplace, a handheld detector and a desktop system. McGann says that under the contract with S&T Implant needs to develop a larger impeller to draw in more air as a bag goes through the X-Ray system.
Another challenge relates to sensitivity of the trace detection technology because there will be less material collected than if a swab is used, McGann says. This is new development work, he says.
During a panel discussion on emerging threats at the conference, McGann said that the state-of-the-art with respect to ETD technology is “relatively unchanged since the late 1990s,” adding that the technology isn’t “easily amenable” to high-throughput, which needs automated sampling. He adds, though, that the capabilities of the technology “haven’t been fully utilized” even though it is widely deployed.
Michael Rossell, director for International Civil Aviation Organization Relations at Airports Council International, said during a separate panel discussion that ETD technology is improving and it can be put to “much more greater use.” Rossell’s organization, ACI, is working with IATA on Smart Security projects with international airports and vendors to improve checkpoint screening while improving the passenger experience. He said that ETD technology is one of the focus areas in 2014 and 2015 for Smart Security.
Despite the challenges, McGann is undaunted.
“If you take the time to explore some of the intrinsic capabilities of ETD technologies, they’re really capable of being dynamic, flexible and very easy to incorporate into the new risk-based screening methods,” he said during the panel discussion.
He said several companies, including Implant, are capable of providing automated, integrated sampling using ETDs.
“We believe that this really is possible today and when you do this you get good passenger experience, no increase to the checkpoint at a reasonable cost and you optimize the security equation,” McGann says.
One challenge that has nothing to do with improving technology is getting stakeholders to “implement the possible” and “stop waiting for perfect solutions,” McGann said. “Governing bodies must be open to looking at new sampling modalities, must be open to how they look at threats and how they correlate those threats to the actual standards that are produced.”
McGann said that another challenge is that “the threats often evolve faster than the standards can be evolved.
“If you have that feeling on occasion that we’re always detecting yesterday’s threat, you might be right,” he said, adding that there are “real opportunities” here.