Stories tagged Homeland Security

Lobsters fighting terrorism: Well, it won't be quite like this, but researchers are using the principles at play in lobster eyes to develop a new X-ray technology for Homeland Security uses. It will be able to see through walls and steel structures.
Courtesy Mike Wood PhotographyIf we ultimately end up winning the war against terrorism, we may have lobsters to thank.

Homeland Security is working with technology researchers in adapting the way that lobster eyes work into creating a new X-ray device to be used in airports, border crossings and other high risks areas.

Lobster eyes work much differently than most animal eyes. They’ve evolved to be able to see through the murky, cloudy water at the bottom of the ocean. To do that, lobster eyes are made up of thousands of tiny square channels on the end of small antennae. They gather light be reflection rather than refraction, or the bending of light, like our own eyes do.

For this new X-ray technology, scanners will use a similar geometric pattern to gather X-ray images. While not generating anything like a high definition image, the X-rays will be strong enough to see through walls, steel or other barriers to detect the shape or form of the items on the other side. It’s called LEXID (Lobster Eye X-ray Imaging Device).

Those images should be good enough for screeners to be able to see if there’s something unusual on the other side of the barrier, something that should be given close inspection. For instance, a LEXID scan could show a person hiding inside of a container, parts for making a bomb inside a suitcase or unusual cargo inside of a shipping container.

So far, about $1 million has been invested in developing the technology and developers hope to have it ready for use within a year.

Beyond national security concerns, developers of the technology think that it might prove useful in other fields like pest control, where exterminators could use it to look for varmints hiding inside of walls.

Tags : lobster, Homeland Security, LEXID, national security, X-ray technology

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Lights out: This fancy flashlight -- the LED Incapacitator -- could be a new tool for Homeland Security in dealing with terrorists or criminals. The unit puts out varying intensities and colors of light that can disorient and fall a suspect, giving law enforcment time to subdue them. (Photo from Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc.)The U.S. Homeland Security Department is going “Star Wars” in its newest effort to find ways to quickly and efficiently disable terrorists or other criminal elements.

The unit – called a LED Incapacitator – will be going under tests this fall with a target date for use by law enforcement units in 2010. And while it might not have the cutting power of Luke or Darth Vader’s light sabers, the LED Incapacitator might be able to knock suspects to the ground with a simple flash of light.

"The light could be used to make a bad guy turn away or shut his eyes, giving authorities enough time to tackle the suspect and apply the cuffs, all while sparing the lives of passersby, hostages or airline passengers," according to a description of the device from the Homeland Security Department's science and technology division.

How will it work? An officer holds the unit just like a flashlight and aims the lens at the suspects face. Flicking the switch starts a series of intense light bursts of varying intensities and colors that can temporarily blind or disorient and even drop the suspect. The impact can be so intense the person being “beamed” can feel vertigo or nausea. Some developers have termed the LED Incapacitator the “puke-ray.”

Of course, there a host of other issues coming up with the development of this technology. The U.S. has signed on years ago to a U.N. treaty that bans the development of weapons that permanently blind suspects. The LED Incapacitator only causes temporary blindness.

And some are already asking questions about if the units become available to the black market and fall into the hands of the wrong people.

So what do you think of the “puke-ray?” Should U.S. Homeland Security continue its development of the unit or is this too risky of a weapon? Share your opinions here with other Science Buzz readers.

Tags : Homeland Security, LED Incapacitator, light saber, law enforcement

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