Page 26 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec19-Jan20

DISCOVERY
DISCOVERY
26 DEFENCE BUSINESS PACIFIC
DECEMBER 2019 – JANUARY 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
STAND OFF CBRN DETECTION TECHNOLOGY ON SHOW
KATHERINE ZIESING | SYDNEY
DISCOVERY provides 3D visualizations of the contents of cargo volumes, allowing the operator to explore and in- spect the volume in three axes all from a stand-off range. This capability allows them to make informed decisions on the presence of threats, contraband and other smug- gled items, using information that is simply beyond the capability of existing x-ray systems. Decision Sciences, a US based company, is working hand in hand with Aus-
their trajectory is changed based on the density and atomic number of the contents they interact with.
The technology utilized for performing these measure- ments has advanced 100-fold over the last few years. The passive nature of the system also means that other inspec- tion activities can be performed uninterrupted inside the system without any need for exclusion zones. Checkpoint activities such as document control, K9, and physical in- spection can all take place concurrently with the Discov- ery inspection.
The system has virtually no moving parts and can be done in a fraction of the time compared to traditional scan- ning technologies. The technology has been trailed in the US at several border crossings, with the user feedback ex- tremely positive thus far. ■
“THE SYSTEM HAS VIRTUALLY NO MOVING PARTS AND CAN BE DONE IN A FRACTION OF THE TIME COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL SCANNING TECHNOLOGIES.”
tralian SME J3Seven, to bring aware- ness of this technology into the Aus- tralian marketplace.
Originally invented at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Deci- sion Sciences has commercialized the technology providing radiation- free, fast, effective interrogation of cargo. Internal experts, including an ex-ABF non-intrusive inspection spe- cialist, have significantly advanced the operational effectiveness of Dis- covery through the development of
sophisticated data interpretation techniques.
With no active source, Discovery uses naturally occur- ring cosmic-ray generated muons and electrons, which are constantly raining down on the surface of the Earth, to per- form measurements of the contents of the cargo volume. Cosmic ray tomography is a technology that uses naturally occurring muons and electrons to generate 3D images. Cosmic rays shatter in the Earth’s atmosphere to produce a harmless flux of muons and electrons that continuously rain onto Earth. As the cosmic rays penetrate materials,