Integrated Defense and Security Solutions (IDSS) has been awarded the first phase of a contract in support of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to integrate its award-winning DETECT™ 1000 computed tomography (CT) scanner with Halo X-ray Technologies, Ltd.’s X-ray Diffraction (XRD) technology, which is intended to enhance detection capability and reduce false alarm rates of airport and narcotics checkpoint scanning systems. This enhancement has the potential to benefit both passengers and Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), providing for quicker returns of bags while reducing the potential need for hand searches, an essential safety measure to minimize exposure to COVID-19.
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This integration will, if successful, also create important new enhancements for screening narcotics in international mail. As the winner of the DHS Opioid Challenge – a collaborative effort with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) – IDSS is currently collaborating with CBP for the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to detect narcotics in international mail using the DETECT™ 1000 and XRD integrated system. The addition of X-ray Diffraction technology to the CBP mail inspection process has the potential to aid in the prompt resolution of false alarms, increasing the number of possible packages that may be scanned each day while reducing labor costs associated with manual inspections.
“IDSS thanks S&T for the opportunity to further develop the detection and image resolution capability of the DETECT™ 1000 and for the opportunity to work on this important forward-thinking program,” said Jeffrey Hamel, CEO of IDSS. He continued, “Through the integration of technologies from two Opioid Detection Challenge finalists, IDSS and its partner Halo X-ray Technologies, Ltd will demonstrate the efficiencies that a certified CT system combined with XRD will bring to airport screening operations and CBP mail inspection.”
Simon Godber, CEO of HALO X-ray Technologies Ltd said, “We are grateful to S&T for their additional funding of our X-ray Diffraction technology and look forward to our partnership with IDSS on this potentially game-changing screening solution, that may dramatically improve passenger wait times at checkpoints and increase efficiency of the passenger screening process.”
Integrated Defense and Security Solutions is a small business security technology manufacturer based in Boxborough, Massachusetts. The company was founded in 2012 by a team of security experts with the goal of developing security solutions to address current and future threats to aviation. The DETECT™ 1000 has received certification by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) for explosives detection.
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