Israeli nanotech sensor "smells" hidden bombs better than sniffer dogs

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Tel Aviv University (TAU) researchers say they've come up with a pinhead-sized detector that may have been able to thwart the recent spate of mail bombs sent to diplomatic and Jewish addresses in at least three continents, and may potentially revolutionize future airport security.

He said their prototype nanotechnology-based sensor can accurately spot and identify an alphabet soup of explosives, including PETN (the plastic explosive used in the FedEx bombing plot against Chicago synagogues last weekend), TNT, RDX, TATP, C4 and HMDX. It is also slated to be able to detect biological toxins such as anthrax, cholera or botulism.

"The lab results have shown unbeatable detection capabilities, not even by a dog," Patolsky said.

Patolsky's team first coated microscopic silicon wires with a compound that binds to explosives. From there they used the wires to build a sensitive nano-sized transistor-on-a-chip containing 200 individual sensors, which Patolsky claimed enable quick and reliable detection of explosives or other suspect agents. And the sensor can work at a distance, Patolsky said, eliminating the need to bring it into contact with the item or person being checked.

Once out of the lab, the sensor will have to undergo rigorous field testing at airports and other high-security venues, he said, estimating the technology will be ready for marketing within a year or two.

Wow. This is some ground breaking technology. I never thought a device like this would be the size of a pin head, and also be able to detect biological agents and explosive material.

When the article says, "biological toxins such as anthrax, cholera or botulism", I wonder how much more they can detect. Maybe this device will be able to detect the season cold virus in the near future? I would guess they are working on a way to detect narcotics to, unless if they already have.

This is some pretty powerful technology, and considering how fast our tech has been advancing the past 20 years, is just by far amazing to me. Imagine in 5 years, how much more advanced stuff like this will be.

Watch there be something like an Iphone app or add-on for something like this, considering how small it is.

Once again, wow.

Yes there definately seems to be a desperaate need for them now doesnt there?
Though this in itself is just coincidental....imagine a company wants to market their product so they hire some agency to pull off some similar scare...hey its stuff of novels....Nobody got hurt, a few planes parked on runways, and all together cheap exxercise for everyone concerned.....and money to be made by all.
Now we definately could use that nano tech......................

reply to post by stirling


I do believe some companies would do something like what you described. Make a product, then have a "scare", therefore increasing the demand for the new product. It could be a possibility for this new nanotch device, with all the mail-bomb stuff going around in Europe, but the development of this device is just amazing, in my opinion.

It didnt take long at all for Patolsky's team to develop this, less than a year.

Fernando Patolsky of TAU's Sackler School of Chemistry and his team set out earlier this year to challenge the drawbacks of existing explosive material detection methods: costly, cumbersome and lengthy laboratory analysis.

Interesting that hes from a school of Chemistry, instead of a defense or nanotech department.

Heres another article about the same type of device, except this one is the size of a penny.

Coin-Sized Bomb Detector

An Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded team has created an inexpensive sensor the size of a penny that detects bombs made with improvised peroxide explosive devices.

The University of California at San Diego research team includes Dr. William Trogler, one of the inventors of the electronic device, and Drs. Andrew Kummel and Ivan Schuller. Together, they created the small sensors using ultra thin films. The sensors are made of cobalt and copper and have a fast response time and sensitivity that enables them to detect even minute amounts of peroxide vapors. When peroxide is present, the film made of cobalt shows a reduction in current while the copper films show an increase.

He noted that low power micro and nanosensors are ideally suited for small unmanned air vehicles, or UAV, platforms. UAVs and micro UAVs can use the technology in remote sensing for protecting facilities from chemical warfare agents when investigating chemical properties of a vapor cloud.

Previous devices created for similar detection purposes were large and expensive. The current sensor cost less than a dollar per device. The university has applied for a patent on the ultrathin sensor, but its licensing has not been finalized. In the meantime, it has attracted the interest of potential licensing partners who favor its size, cost and additional potential use in commercial applications.

Although this article is from 2008, it is still interesting.