This paper shall demonstrate the results of a prototype system to detect explosive objects and obscured contaminated
targets. By combining a high volume sampling nozzle with an inline 2-stage preconcentrator and a Fido, greater standoff
is achieved than with the Fido alone. The direct application of this system is on the Autonomous Mine Detection System
(AMDS) but could be deployed on a large variety of robotic platforms. It is being developed under the auspices of the
U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, Countermine Division.
This device is one of several detection tools and technologies to be used on the AMDS. These systems will have
multiple, and at times, overlapping objectives. One objective is trace detection on the surface of an unknown potential
target. By increasing the standoff capabilities of the detector, the fine manipulation of the robot deploying the detector is
less critical. Current detectors used on robotic systems must either be directly in the vapor plume or make direct contact
with the target. By increasing the standoff, detection is more easily and quickly achieved. The end result detector must
overcome cross-contamination, sample throughput, and environmental issues. The paper will provide preliminary results
of the prototype system to include data, and where feasible, video of testing results.
Vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) have become the weapon of choice for insurgents in Iraq. At the same time, these devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated and effective. VBIEDs can be difficult to detect during visual inspection of vehicles. This is especially true when explosives have been hidden behind a vehicle’s panels, inside seat cushions, under floorboards, or behind cargo. Even though the explosive may not be visible, vapors of explosive emanating from the device are often present in the vehicle, but the current generation of trace detection equipment has not been sensitive enough to detect these low concentrations of vapor.
This paper presents initial test results using the Nomadics Fido sensor for detection of VBIEDs. The sensor is a small, explosives detector with unprecedented levels of sensitivity for detection of nitroaromatic explosives. Fido utilizes fluorescence quenching of novel polymer materials to detect traces of explosive vapor emanating from targets containing explosives. These materials, developed by collaborators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), amplify the quenching response that occurs when molecules of explosive bind to films of the polymer. These materials have enabled development of sensors with performance approaching that of canines trained to detect explosives.
The ability of the sensor to detect explosives in vehicles and on persons who have recently been in close proximity to explosives has recently been demonstrated. In these tests, simulated targets were quickly and easily detected using a Fido sensor in conjunction with both direct vapor and swipe sampling methods. The results of these tests suggest that chemical vapor sensing has utility as a means of screening vehicles for explosives at checkpoints and on patrols.
The dog's nose is an effective, highly-mobile sampling system, while the canine olfactory organs are an extremely sensitive detector. Having been trained to detect a wide variety of substances with exceptional results, canines are widely regarded as the 'gold standard' in chemical vapor detection. Historically, attempts to mimic the ability of dogs to detect vapors of explosives using electronic 'dogs noses' has proven difficult. However, recent advances in technology have resulted in development of detection (i.e., sampling and sensor) systems with performance that is rapidly approaching that of trained canines. The Nomadics Fido was the first sensor to demonstrate under field conditions the detection of landmines with performance approaching that of canines. More recently, comparative testing of Fido against canines has revealed that electronic vapor detection, when coupled with effective sampling methods, can produce results comparable to that of highly-trained canines.
The results of these comparative tests will be presented, as will recent test results in which explosives hidden in cargo were detected using Fido with a high-volume sampling technique. Finally, the use of canines along with electronic sensors will be discussed as a means of improving the performance and expanding the capabilities of both methods.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Land mines, Explosives, Mining, Polymers, Edge detection, Contamination, Statistical analysis, Biological and chemical sensing, Chemical analysis
Nomadics has developed a novel sensing technology that detects the chemical signature of explosives emanating from buried landmines. Canines have demonstrated the ability to detect these signatures, but use of canines for this task presents a number of logistical and physical limitations that can be overcome by use of chemical sensors. Nomadics is the exclusive licensee of novel amplifying fluorescent polymer materials developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). These materials enable detection of ultra-trace concentrations of nitroaromatic compounds such as TNT, the most commonly utilized explosive in the production of landmines. When vapors of nitroaromatics are presented to the sensor, the fluorescent polymers emit light at a greatly reduced intensity, a property that enables rapid detection of trace quantities of explosives using relatively low-cost electronics and optics. Studies performed by Jenkins et al suggest that the chemical signature of a landmine is heterogeneous and can be dispersed a significant distance from the location of the mine. Because the signature is not highly localized and is not characterized by a well-defined concentration gradient, the sensor may have difficulty indicating the exact position of a mine, especially in high-density minefields. Conversely, if the chemical signature extends some distance from the mine position, the sensor may have utility in detecting the edges of minefields. In combat scenarios, this will allow commanders to select safe paths for personnel and vehicles. This paper will present the latest findings related to minefield edge detection at several test sites.
A sensor (known as Fido) that utilizes amplification of fluorescence quenching as the transduction mechanism for ultra-trace detection of nitroaromatic compounds associated with landmines has been described previously. Previous sensor prototypes utilized a single band of amplifying polymer deployed inside a capillary waveguide to form the sensing element of the detector. A new prototype has been developed that incorporates multiple, discrete bands of different amplifying polymers deployed in a linear array inside the capillary. Vapor-phase samples are introduced into the sensor as a sharp pulse via a gated inlet. As the vapor pulse is swept through the capillary by flow of a carrier gas, the pulse of analyte encounters the bands of polymer sequentially. If the sample contains nitroaromatic explosives, the bands of polymer will respond with a reduction in emission intensity proportional to the mass of analyte in the sample. Because the polymer bands are deployed serially, the analyte pulse does not reach the bands of polymer simultaneously. Hence, a temporal response pattern will be observed as the analyte pulse traverses the length of the capillary. In addition, the intensity of response for each band will vary, producing a ratiometric response. The temporal and ratiometric responses are characteristic of a given analyte, enhancing discrimination of target analytes from potential interferents. This should translate into a reduction in sensor false alarm rates.
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