Several other Sandia technologies and areas of expertise offer potential border security solutions, including:
Explosives — Sandia’s unique explosives “sniffing” technologies, for example, detect traces of explosives on people and objects. These technologies form the basis of detection devices including the hand-held “Hound” and “Micro Hound” systems. Sandia has also developed a walk-through portal, commercialized by Smiths Detection, that has been installed in airports across the country.
Radiation/Nuclear — Sandia has developed a detection system called “SMART” (Sensor for Measurement and Analysis of Radiation Transients) that incorporates proprietary Sandia software for isotope identification. SMART technology can be used to measure and identify radiation signatures within passing vehicles or installed in a vehicle to scan the environment it is traveling through.
People — Sandia has worked to develop a three-dimensional sensor and associated 3-D facial-recognition technologies based on scannerless laser radar, which can produce geometrically accurate spatial and range measurements in uncontrolled environments at ranges to hundreds of meters or more. Its potential uses in a number of border-security environments are being explored.
Tunnels — Sandia’s experience in nearsurface geophysical characterization has been applied to the problem of tunnel detection for several customers.
Chemical/Biological — Sandia has developed a handheld MicroChemLab system for rapid detection and identification of chemical and biological agents and is partnering with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to develop BioBriefcase, a compact, highly sensitive system for detecting a broad spectrum of biological agents. For DHS, Sandia has developed and deployed SNIFFER (Sensing Nodes Informing and Facilitating Fast Emergency Response) for chemical detection.
“Today’s borders present difficult, multifaceted challenges, and the threats they pose require us to think about them as a complex system,” said Hruby. “Our goal is to present security solutions to border problems that extend far beyond the borders themselves and that include more than just insertion of technologies.”