Device detects hazardous material instantly

For soldiers at war and first-responder law enforcement groups, timing is essential. If a substance needs to be analyzed, it often needs to be done urgently.

Well, a new technology is making it possible for trace amounts of potentially dangerous chemical substances to be analyzed immediately upon collection. A Maine-based technology company and the University of Maine Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) have teamed up to create a prototype of a surface-swabbing device that can analyze a possible chemical, explosive, or biological agent immediately.

The sensor allows field-portable infrared spectrometers to identify unknown substances. (Image via University of Maine)

The device itself is about the size of a penny and snaps onto the end of a wand so that any suspicious residue can be swabbed from the surface. The sample can be scanned and identified instantly using the “surface sampler.” Currently, the process of analyzing samples requires a large physical sample and can take days or weeks for the results to return.

A device of this nature can lead to advancements in the field-testing of suspicious powders and liquids without the wait and hassle of waiting for lab results.

Basically, the “surface sampler” works like a “nanosponge” (which absorbs materials that can be retrieved at a later time) and connects with a portable computerized infrared spectrometer.

After conceptualization and technology aspects were covered, AMC director John Belding created the plastic chassis that would contain the device and decided that it would attach to a buttonlike base. A challenge here was finding a material that could withstand battlefield conditions and yet still be easily produced and manufactured. The swab was designed with a 3D computer, prototypes were created from computer-controlled machines, and the full-scale production methods were determined with basic computerized equipment.

Smiths Detection, a U.S. defense contractor, is developing and distributing the device. It is expected that thousands of swabs will be ready for distribution following the product launch this fall. Adjustments to this model are already underway, which will allow for use by other defense such as homeland security and environmental applications. ■

Story Via: University of Maine