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Explosives Detection Breakthrough Via Green Laser

Posted by timothy on from the stuff-that-blows-up dept.

retiarius writes "In keeping with celebrating the USA's National Chemistry Week (aside from watching the hitcount for Tom Lehrer's very chemical music video at CD Baby), I'm duly impressed by an amazingly simple new way to detect explosives at a distance -- just use a store-bought presentation green laser pointer and some dimestore infrared night vision glasses! The (alas, patentable) details are in this week's EE Times."

5 of 49 comments (clear)

  1. False positives & meat by G4from128k · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A quick read of this article suggests that this will have a false positive problem with meat products. The nitrite (NO2) groups found in explosives that glow IR when exposed to green light are also found in meat products. I'm surprised the researchers did not test this potential source of false postives because other explosives detection technologies that look for nitrogen are also fooled by meat products.

    Eat a hot dog or deli sandwich before going through security and you may end up in the dreaded secondary screening line when the bomb detector mistakes bologna for a bomb.

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
    1. Re:False positives & meat by erykjj · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I don't remember much from my chemistry class, but apparently they tested it with "benzene, naphthalene, nail polish, perfume, lighter fluid, rubber cement, acetone, toluene, fertilizer on golf shoes, sugar, baking soda, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), paint thinner and more" and nono of these triggered the alarm. I'm sure some of these contain the nitrites you mentioned, no?

  2. upping the ante... by da5idnetlimit.com · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ok, that means that to build a bomb you need laboratory equipment with gas control (think big glass box) and a tight seal allowing you access to the INSIDE of the bomb container.

    you then have to find a way to seal the container air-tight (low-tech :generous grease application for example) then flush air, introduce clean container cap, close container...

    ok.. we just upped the ante and non-professionnal bomb makers won't be able to make the technological jump...=>more security

    but it's nothing that someone with some organisation couldn't do...but we have to assume anyone with that sort of hardware is checked and easier to find out.

    Alas, after going through this procedure (or any other they think of) they (terrorists-bomber-mad(wo)men now only have to get said night visions googles and green laser and test it themselves...

    just another check in in the seemingly already complicated art of making bombs (I wouldn't know, as IANAB -I Am Not A Bomber - 8p )

    I think they should have kept it a secret longer, even if they precised it was already one year old...

    --
    It takes 40+ muscles to frown, but only four to extend your arm and bitchslap the motherfucker
    1. Re:upping the ante... by Carnildo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There's no indication that old-fashoned blackpowder will trigger the detector, and if fertilizer won't trigger it, then a fertilizer/fuel oil mix probably won't either.

      --
      "They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
  3. What about a bomb in a bag or backpack? by Zachary+Kessin · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Can it see if a bag contains a bomb or some one's school books from outside? That would be useful. I have lost count of how many times I have been held up because someone left a bag somewhere and they had to call in the bomb squad to see if it is a bomb or someone's laundry/groceries/school books etc. This is not a place where you want false negatives!

    --
    Erlang Developer and podcaster