Durham Scientific Crystals Ltd (DSC) signed a contract with the UK Home Office to develop automatic explosives detectors based on its compound semiconductor technology, for UK airports. The Home Office and other government departments are contributing £350,000 towards the £1.5 million, two-year project and will provide technical advice to ensure the device suits requirements.
According to a spokesman from the Home Office Scientific Development branch the project is one of well over 200 proposals submitted after a call for innovative detection systems made in April this year.
DSC’s managing director Arnab Basu said “We are confident that we will be able to identify materials using multi-spectral detectors.” This will take a lot of pressure off operators who will be able to look at an object from different directions in a seamless rotation, giving a dynamic image without compromising the speed of the operation.
“When fully trialled, these machines could replace all existing airport x ray machines throughout the world,” added Basu.
The aviation market for explosives detection is worth well over US $1 billion a year according to Basu.
One of the major investors in DSC is the quoted technology commercialisation company, Amphion Innovations plc. Richard Morgan, CEO said, “DSC’s patented technology has broad commercial opportunity in medicine, industry, and defence applications, as well as in security. Acceleration of the development of these products for the security applications should help the development of products for these other markets.”
The first prototype, a small baggage scanner, suitable for testing in a UK airport, is planned to be built within the next 12 months. A second prototype, a full-scale baggage scanner, will be ready for trials within two years.
DSC has developed a technique for producing from vapour, single crystals of cadmium telluride, which can be used as detectors of x and gamma rays. This technology will significantly aid the move from analogue to digital x ray imaging and it allows direct fingerprinting to identify materials such as explosives.
DSC will look at possible partnerships with other companies to take the machines to market.
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