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Sandia is developing technology to help prevent border incidents by detecting the presence of unwanted people or weapons.
In collaboration with Argonne and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia developed PROTECT, a system to detect chemical attacks in subways. First demonstrated in the Washington DC Metro, this automated network of chemical sniffers, TV cameras, and computers provides reliable early warning of chemical attack, as well as intelligent emergency response management. PROTECT can significantly cut response times—which could translate into thousands of lives saved.
PROTECT is now installed permanently throughout DC Metro, and many other cities have expressed interest in the system, which can be easily modified for different transit agencies, and can incorporate new capabilities to extend readily to new stations.
Mass casualties, economic disruption, and widespread emotional fallout—these and other potentially catastrophic outcomes of a chemical or biological attack at airports make these facilities attractive to terrorists. Knitting together decades of expertise, a Sandia team demonstrated a system of early warning sensors that could alert authorities of a bio-aerosol attack under a program called PROACT.
In keeping with Sandia’s long tradition of providing end-to-end solutions, PROACT examines all elements of the challenge: vulnerability assessment, passive protection, biological and chemical detection architectures, response planning, and simulation exercises.
We’ve also partnered with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to publish guidelines to help airports understand the threat, recognize their vulnerabilities, harden their facilities to prevent and mitigate attacks, and respond to attack consequences. The report is now being distributed to airport security officials.
During a three-month test conducted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in 2005, volunteer passengers at a security checkpoint at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport were screened for faint traces of explosives by the Sentinel, a walk-through portal developed by Sandia and licensed to Smiths Detection.
When passengers step into the Sentinel, puffs of air dislodge particles from their hair, skin, and clothing, and an air samples is collected and analyzed. If traces of an explosive chemical are found, an alarm alerts TSA inspectors, who then take appropriate action.
Based on successful tests, TSA announced it would purchase 25 Sentinels from Smiths Detection. TSA also plans to add more machines by January 2006 to provide fast, accurate explosives detection at the nation’s 40 busiest airports.
Field tests at northeast ports are confirming the value of Sandia’s SMART radiation detection system, which can detect and identify radiological isotopes within shipping containers. Incorporating Sandia’s proprietary auto-isotope identification software, FitToDB, SMART indicates the probability that a radioactive material detected presents a security concern, while a video imager simultaneously captures the image of person or vehicle carrying the radioactive material.
Sandia has created a licensing agreement with Thermo Electron Corporation that allows the company to use Fit ToDB in commercial units. Thermo Electron was awarded a Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) contract in early 2005 to build and test three prototypes of radiological sensors using this Sandia’s software.
Sandia has worked with a number of government agencies over the last two decades to develop, characterize, and deploy ground sensor systems to detect intrusion at borders and specific sites.
Work includes
Sandia used internal research dollars to fund a 3D facial recognition project that combines modeling and simulation, advanced algorithms, and imaging radar technology. The resulting technology promises to greatly enhance the effectiveness of facial recognition for efficient, non-intrusive border surveillance.