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Scientists testing new detector for chemical agents
Mini-lidar sensor In this report:
February 20, 1998
Web posted at: 9:34 p.m. EST (0234 GMT)From Correspondent Alesia Stanford
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Gas masks were distributed this week in Kuwait and Israel in case Iraq fires missiles carrying mustard gas or other toxic agents in the heat of an armed conflict with the United States and other countries.
As the threat of terrorism and the use of chemical and biological agents increase, new detectors are being developed that may help weapons inspectors and civilian emergency teams determine quickly what they're facing.
One detector is the mini-lidar sensor. It's designed to detect exposed chemicals, whether fluid, gases or even explosive powders, from a safe distance.
"In principle, every substance has a unique spectral signal," says Art Sedlacek of the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
By using an ultraviolet laser, the lidar sensor can determine if the substance is biological or chemical. If it's chemical, it can tell exactly what it is by analyzing its light waves, and a computer then produces a graph or fingerprint of the chemical contents.
That fingerprint is compared with a database until a match is found and the chemical is identified.
"Because you're able to see a spectral fingerprint of a chemical, you could use this technology to uniquely identify chemicals that would be associated with chemical warfare agents," says Sedlacek.
New York City System passes test on New York street
The system is small enough to be transported in a van and is designed for use in an urban setting.
One of the most promising potential uses of the mini-lidar system is that even on a crowded city street and even on a wet day, if a dangerous chemical is unleashed, the system will be able to pinpoint the leaking liquid or fumes, determine what it is and where it is.
In fact, it's already passed one important test.
On November 9th of last year, the mini-lidar system was able to determine the contents of a chemically soaked cloth during an emergency drill in New York City.
"With this technology, you could actually map the area as...you're walking or driving with it," Sedlacek says.
"The end goal, if possible, is to have this whole thing shrunk down to a manned, portable unit," says Mark Ray, another Brookhaven scientist. "Something that could be carried into the field."
Inspectors in Iraq after the Gulf War Sound-wave units used in Iraq
Similar units using sound waves to analyze the contents of closed containers were used by weapons inspectors in Iraq right after the Gulf War.
A portable lidar system may not be completed in time for the current showdown with Iraq, but it could be used in the future to determine what Saddam Hussein, or others like him, are up to.
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- Proliferation: Threat and Response - Department of Defense document on weapons of mass destruction
- Brookhaven National Laboratory
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Watch Science & Technology Week on CNN for more sci-tech stories.
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