Fortem, HPE to Develop Airspace Security Solution
Fortem Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise
[HPE] have signed an original equipment manufacturer agreement to deliver a customizable solution for real-time airspace awareness, security and data for forensic analysis. The solutions will include Fortem’s SkyDome software and TrueView radar to detect, track, categorize and assess threats, and HPE’s ProLiant DL20 Gen10 servers, which deliver security, high performance and flexibility. The solution works in private secured networks or in protected cloud settings. The companies say the solution are for public infrastructure, venues and cities requiring security and data processing to protect against ground and airborne threats. “We are proud to collaborate with HPE on creating a solution that provides total environmental awareness through airspace digitization, along with a powerful data solution that gives customers an unprecedented ability to understand what is in their environment and whether it poses a threat,” says Timothy Bean, Fortem’s CEO.
Smiths Detection Establishes Training and Experience Center in India
Smiths Detection has opened an 11,000 square foot training, service and experience center in Gurugram, India, its first in the region. The company says it invested $1.5 million in the new facility, which includes a rework depot, parts warehouse, customer call center, and customer experience laboratory that will support its customers in airports, ports and borders, hospitality, critical infrastructures, logistics providers and e-commerce platforms throughout Asia Pacific and the Middle East. “India is expected to become the world’s third largest air passenger market by 2024,” says Vikrant Trilokekar, Smiths Detection’s managing director for India. “Keeping in pace with the changing landscape, we want to be able to offer our customers enhanced support and training services they need. Our new Service, Training and Experience Centre will better enable our team to quickly respond and help our customers find solutions that best address their growing business needs.”
American Airlines Launches Biometric Boarding at Dallas Fort Worth International
American Airlines in late August began using facial recognition cameras to board customers on select international flights at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, its largest hub. American says the biometric boarding eliminates the need for its customers to scan their boarding passes. The facial images captured at the departure gate will be compared against a gallery of photos maintained by Customs and Border Protection in the Traveler Verification System. The airline says no customer biometrics will be stored. Customers must still present their passports. U.S. citizens may opt out but then must submit to the traditional manual boarding pass inspection. “As its largest hub, implementing new technology like biometric boarding gives us the opportunity to enhance the airport experience in partnership with CBP,” says Cedric Rockamore, vice president of DFW Hub Operations at American. “This new technology allows us to provide a more seamless and modern experience for both our customers and team members.” The rollout of biometric boarding at DFW follows the implementation earlier this year by American of the technology at Los Angeles International Airport.
PNNL Developing Explosives Vapor Detection Technology
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are developing an “ultrasensitive” non-contact vapor detection technology that detects explosive vapors, deadly chemicals, and illicit drugs in seconds. The Washington-based Department of Energy lab’s technology draws an air sample into a narrow metal tube where it collides with chemical ions and creates a positive or negative charge before entering the inlet of a mass spectrometer, which measures, or detects, the ions of interest based on their charge and mass. Users can adjust the ionization source to selectively react with the compound of interest. PNNL says the technology is “not a one-size-fits-all black box,” noting “It can’t see everything at once and must be tailored or customized for the substance(s) of interest.” The technology has identified RDX, C-4, PETN, Semtex, nitroglycerin, tetryl, TNT, other explosive vapors, vapors emanating from toxic chemicals similar in structure to nerve agents, and vapors from illicit drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.
Surrey Researchers Developing Rapid Bomb Detection Technology
The Univ. of Surrey in Britain says its researchers are developing a new “ultra-fast method to detect materials that could be used to build explosives” by analyzing a wider range of materials than current thermal based detection systems used in airports today, while reducing false positives. The method entails using a swab spray technique of materials to collect samples of explosives to achieve higher sensitivity than previously published results. The technique was also tested on dirty surfaces such as new and used keyboards. “The critical advantage of this system is the ability to uniquely identify the explosive being detected, making it much less likely to create false alarms,” says Dr. Patrick Sears, co-author of the paper from the Univ. of Surrey. “The selectivity of this system means that it could also be used to identify a range of other threat materials whilst the sensitivity would allow the detection of invisible traces of explosives.”