News:
Chemical/Biological Agent Standoff Detection
Spectral Sciences, Inc. is working with DTRA to develop an innovative standoff detection system for remote detection and mapping of chemical agents and other hazardous materials. The Adaptive Multiplex Spectrometer (AMS) is a general-purpose passive infrared sensor whose characteristics can be set on-the-fly in software. As a spectrograph, it would provide performance similar to the SORAD. It also can perform 1-D spectral imaging and implement target-specific detection algorithms in hardware for rapid-response, selective detection of weak spectral signatures against complex backgrounds. Furthermore, the AMS design is inherently rugged, with no macroscopic moving parts. These characteristic make it applicable in a variety of fieldable sensors for man-portable, vehicle-mounted, and UAV-based operations.
The adaptive spectrometer will address both military and commercial market needs for a long-range, affordable and reliable standoff detector. The primary military products, conceived as man-portable or vehicle-mounted sensors, would be useful for threat detection, threat mapping, surveillance, event detection, and surface contamination monitoring.
The AMS optical design will have wider application in both military and civilian markets. Its wavelength programmability should make it suitable for applications that are not addressed by existing technology. Like the FTIR, it serves as a multi-purpose spectrometer with the multiplex signal-to-noise advantage. The AMS also provides hyperspectral or spectrally-selective imaging capabilities at no additional cost. Because it uses only a single-element detector, it can provide spectral imaging at an order of magnitude lower cost than conventional systems that rely on array detectors. This opens up a large range of applications in the medical, process monitoring, and surveillance markets.