Air travellers may soon be asked to walk through a drug and
explosive-sniffing tunnel before boarding their plane. Ion Track Instruments of
Massachusetts say they can pick up telltale signs of contraband just from air
flowing over someone’s body (EP 992 782). The company takes Teflon-coated woven
glass fibre and rubs it with an abrasive, which makes tiny cuts in the Teflon
and breaks some of the fibres free. The glass fibre then acts as a filter at the
end of a tunnel, trapping traces of cocaine or plastics explosive in the
fractured weave. When you heat the fabric to 200 °C any traces of drugs will
evaporate and be picked up by a spectrometer.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Technology
Test moderators use AI-generated writing to judge literacy standards
News
Technology
We should decide how AI shapes the future, not tech firms
Comment
Technology
Quantum voting could make elections more secure
News
Technology
DeepMind AI gives an extra day of warning ahead of deadly cyclones
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles