Bradfield MP Paul Fletcher gets up close and personal with Lindfield’s CSIRO

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/north-shore/bradfield-mp-paul-fletcher-gets-up-close-and-personal-with-lindfields-csiro/news-story/ef0c8a3411c4fc83ee5cbe8eb241f746

Doug Conway,

Bradfield MP Paul Fletcher gets shown an Exoflex prototype by Head of Fledge Innovation Gary Jones during a visit to CSIRO at Lindfield. Picture: Joel Carrett

SUPERMAN has been enlisted in the fight against terrorism, thanks to scientists beavering away in quiet, leafy Lindfield.

His powers of X-ray vision are being replicated at the CSIRO facility there in an ambitious project to detect, and ultimately disarm, bombs and other explosive devices.

The three-year, $3.6 million project is being partially funded by a $2.5 million federal grant to CSIRO, working in partnership with UTS and the University of Wollongong.

It aims to produce a light, portable device weighing five to 10 kilos which will allow soldiers to “see” weapons through clothing and to detect explosives in non-metal containers at a safe distance of 30m.

                Bradfield MP Paul Fletcher chats with worker Kurnal Radhanpura. Picture: Joel Carrett

“Wouldn’t it be great to be able to give defence personnel Superman’s vision to detect improvised explosive devises in places like Afghanistan? That’s what we are aiming for,” deputy director and science director at CSIRO Manufacturing Dr Cathy Foley said.

The device could also be used in civilian installations such as airports and during emergencies such as when suspect packages are left in trains or other public places.

Dr Foley said such a device “absolutely” could have been used to save countless lives, not only on the battlefield but in terrorist attacks such as the bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester last year.

“It would have allowed security personnel to pick up explosive material in that backpack,” she said.

Bradfield MP Paul Fletcher joined by Head of Fledge Innovation Gary Jones during a visit to CSIRO Lindfield. Picture: Joel Carrett

Sports stadiums could have such safeguards routinely built into them in future.

“That’s the dream and the vision. It will get there, no doubt,” she said.

The science behind the project involves using the Terahertz spectrum, which provides an imaging “sweet spot” in between higher frequency gamma rays, X-rays and infra-red rays, and lower frequency radio waves and microwaves.

The Terahertz spectrum provides sufficient penetration without being harmful to humans by breaking down cells.

It allows scientists to detect different substances, which all have a different chemical “fingerprint”. The sensor system can see through fabrics, plastics, wood and other non-metals, and could be used in conjunction with existing metal detectors.

“Very few people would realise that we have such a world-class research institution right here in Lindfield,” Bradfield federal Liberal MP Paul Fletcher said.

TeTechS Blog-Hidden Object Detection with Terahertz Sensors

Hidden Object Detection with Terahertz Sensors

Posted by Daniel Hailu on Monday, 29 September 2014 in Terahertz

http://www.tetechs.com/blog/latest

After the Columbia disaster in 2003, NASA grounded the space shuttles for more than a year as it worked on new safety protocols to ensure that such a tragedy would not happen again. As part of the preparations for the Return to Flight mission, the Agency required a method for detecting potentially hazardous defects in the external tank’s sprayed-on insulating foam prior to launch. The solution NASA Langley Research Center scientists suspected was a new imaging technology called terahertz imaging that had the potential to accurately find flaws in the foam on the external tank. Terahertz wavelengths can be used to see through many materials and reveal defects like cracks, voids, and density variations. They can be used to image or as an anomaly detector, or both at the same time. Hidden object or defects inside opaque structures can be seen using Terahertz waves. For example a hidden glue gel inside a plastic enclosure is observed to change through absorption the Terahertz wave generated and detected by Terahertz sensors. As seen in this video, the hidden gel that is behind an opaque barrier and can not be seen by a visible nor IR camera becomes visible in the Terahertz frequency range.

There has been intense interest in the use of millimetre wave and terahertz technology for the detection of concealed weapons, hidden metallic as well as non-metallic objects, explosives and other threats. Radiation at these frequencies is safe, penetrates barriers and has short enough wavelengths to allow discrimination between objects. In addition, many solids including explosives have characteristic spectroscopic signatures at terahertz wavelengths which can be used to identify them.

In many cases, real-time or video rate images with sub-millimeter resolution are required to see small defects or hidden objects. Strong Terahertz sources are required for these imaging applications, which are currently expensive and bulky. While low-cost and room temprature detectors are required for imaging and sensing. These challenges have to be overcome in order for Terahertz technology to be widely adapted by industry.