Project: Newgeneration Explosives Scanning Systems
_x000D_Project "NESS": Newgeneration Explosives Scanning Systems._x000D__x000D_As a result of increasing threats and criminality there is increasing pressure on security measures and activities for capturing dangerous materials and fluids in all sorts of circumstances be it public as well as private._x000D_Typical circumstances are airports where bags and cargo are to be checked, but also other customs/border situations, parcel/mail sorting/distribution situations, as well as critical industrial/chemical facilities face similar security challenges. _x000D_Such dangerous materials and fluids may comprise drugs and otherwise specific materials, yet the CO focus is on explosive materials and fluids._x000D__x000D_Currently available technologies for scanning contents of bags/boxes/parcels/mail do not give an answer to the most of the modern types of explosives, leaving authorities and companies with the fact that often dangerous materials will pass without detection and with the fact that there are many doubtful cases that require manual, very risky and labour intensive inspection._x000D__x000D_Commonly used x-ray technology is based on absorption and provides contrast images and cannot e.g. distinguish highly explosive Semtex from an orange; cannot distinguish and characterise fluids; cannot determine the nature of materials and fluids behind barriers._x000D_Standard laboratory equipment commonly uses XRD and XRF technologies and give good possibilities for characterizing crystalline materials yet cannot scan through barriers, have limitations in distinguishing between fluids and non-crystalline (incl. organic) materials. More importantly these systems require manually prepared samples of materials (unpacked, sliced etc) so are not suit for in-line application._x000D_Sophisticated CT scanners come already closer but, being only a first step in the security screening chain, these only indicate ambiguous cases and areas, requiring manual checking. As a second step high energy XRD analysers have recently been introduced, yet these methods leave big challenges, e.g. the issue of fluids is not commonly settled and mobile systems of such capabilities do not exist at all._x000D__x000D__x000D_EnTech has discovered an all-new technology, using new x-ray techniques and based on using new types of retrieved sample data, and complementary analysis systems, that potentially provides the following functionalities:_x000D_ -scanning, detection and characterization of all sorts of materials (crystalline and non-crystalline) and particularly also fluids_x000D_- on the basis of their chemical properties (ergo not a picture but an on-screen indication of the substance)_x000D_- through thick barriers, be it steel, aluminium, glass, wood, plastics etc._x000D_- goods being scanned while they are in-line, in process_x000D_- connected systems automatically providing practical and tactical security information and exchange._x000D__x000D_With prior research and development the method has been proven and a rudimentary testing set-up (using mostly standard x-ray components) has been set up for this. Very good results have been achieved so far: the prior phases of proof of principle and proof of concept have been concluded succesfully. Reference is made to the attached 'Scope' document, graphically indicating the scope and status of this development._x000D__x000D_The objective now is to develop this new technology to industrial prototype level in the next 3 years._x000D_To this end a collaboration has been set up and contacts laid with many industrial and research parties in Europe, both on the development side and on the application/market side. Such parties are e.g. system integrators and total baggage handling system suppliers. _x000D_There is great interest for this new technology amongst these parties and strong common will to bring this into application._x000D__x000D_Yet there are some challenging issues that need to be researched and developed in order to find out and facilitate the full potential of this technology. _x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D_In this European co-operation project under Eurostars we as EnTech have the goal to bring this new technology to industrial prototype level with the following consortium:_x000D__x000D_- NL: EnTech (method developer, supplier of related special components , software and data/content)_x000D_- DE: Fraunhofer/ICT (explosive materials, fluids knowledge, facilitator)_x000D_- NL: Luminis (developer of specialist software)_x000D_- NL: Imotec (developer, producer of specialist mechatronics)_x000D_- DE: Petrick (developer, producer of specialist X-ray tubes and optics)_x000D_- BE: Canberra Semiconductor (developer, producer of specialist detector systems)._x000D__x000D_The development and exploitation/use of this new technology has great potential for increasing the safety and efficiency of security activities in Europe and the world._x000D_Next to that it has great economic potential for all the related industries. This holds of course for the parties in this project but also for all sub-supplying parties as well as system integrators and total system suppliers that will be able to incorporate this new technology in their products.
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Acronym
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NESS
(Reference Number: 7494)
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Duration
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01/06/2012 - 31/03/2016
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Project Topic
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Project to research and develop the full potential of an allnew, method-proven technology for scanning, detecting and characterising all types of dangerous or specific materials as well as fluids, behind barriers (hidden, packaged) and for in-line/in-proces applications (e.g. airport luggage check)
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Network
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Eurostars
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Call
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Eurostars Cut-Off 8
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Project partner
