• Hunting down dirty bomb materials

    A Los Alamos-based team in in the business of locating and recovering nuclear materials from hospitals, labs, oil fields, and factories so that these materials do not fall into the hands of terrorists; between 2,500 and 3,000 radiological sources are registered each year as unwanted; some officials estimate that there may be tens of thousands of other radioactive sources that the National Nuclear Security Agency has not identified

  • San Diego State builds radiation detection system

    New Immersive Visualization Center on the campus of San Diego State collaborates with the university’s Homeland Security Program to build, and then demonstrate, gamma radiation detection perimeter system

  • Lab-on-a-chip detects pollutants, disease, and biological weapons

    Researchers develop nano-sized laboratory, complete with a microscopic workbench, to measure water quality in real time; breakthrough will help keep water safe from pollution and bioterrorist threats

  • DHS receives IT money in stimulus package

    DHS receives a $2.8 billion boost from the new stimulus package; largest single item is for TSA’s installation of checked baggage explosive detection systems

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  • New liquid detection system for airports

    Los Alamos national Lab develops a device which enhances airport security by spotting liquids that could prove to be potential threats

  • Better detection with self-healing wireless sensor network

    New self-forming, self-healing wireless mesh sensor network can detect railway embankment landslides, humidity in art museums, water quality in water treatment facilities — and has military and security applications such as a perimeter network that can detect intrusion through breaking a light beam, or triggering a tripwire, or proximity sensor

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  • India to see a large, broad growth in expenditures on domestic security

    A series of terrorist attacks, culminating in the coordinated attack in Mumbai last month, convinced both government and industry in India that more security — much more security — is required to cope with mounting threats to domestic peace; business opportunities abound for companies in IT security, biometric, surveillance, detection, situational awareness, and more

  • AS&E in $2.8 million X-ray detection van deal

    Massachusetts-based developer of the Z Backscatter detection van reports yet another contract for its “drive-by” inspection system; this contract follows in the wake of several other deals for the company’s solution

  • New chemical contamination wipe developed

    New, nonwoven dry wipe material proves itself in cleaning up chemical warfare agents and toxic chemicals

  • Independent commission: WMD attack by terrorists likely

    An independent commission of experts, set up by Congress as part of the recommendations by the 9/11 commission, concludes that terrorists will most likely carry out an attack with biological, nuclear, or other unconventional weapons somewhere in the world in the next five years

  • Germany reconsiders millimeter wave scanners

    Last month the European Parliament banned the use of millimeter wave scanner at European airports because the scanners’ sensitivity allow security personnel to see anatomically correct nude images of passengers; Germany wants to revisit the issue

  • BAE moves into radiation detection

    Natural diamonds have been used for UV detection since the 1920s, but high purity single crystal diamond with excellent bulk uniformity is a new development, opening new markets for the technology

  • Raytheon pursues stand-off radiation sensor technology

    Raytheon received a $2.9 million contract from DHS to develop a stand-off nuclear radiation system

  • Briefly noted

    Raytheon awarded contract for exploratory nuclear detection research… Navies may get tougher on piracy after tanker seizure… U.S. donates nuclear detection equipment to Nigeria

  • Thruvision offers T-ray security scanner

    Terahertz radiation offer the promise of effective scanning of passengers without revealing anatomically correct images of their bodies