2 New Bomb Detectors Find Bombs in Different Ways

Two kinds of bomb detectors, the first inspired by dolphin sonar is the size of a coin and can sense hidden electronics. It can be used to find surveillance bugs, bomb triggers, and even people buried in the rubble of an earthquake if they have their phone or IPod with them. Dolphins use bubble nets from their blowholes to corral fish and are able to detect the difference between the fish and the bubbles with their sonar. Timothy Leighton took this idea further and developed a prototype radar system that could distinguish a wide range of materials, specifically wires and semiconductors that might pinpoint a bomb circuit or other hidden electronics.

Next a European program called Emphasis has figured a way to place chemical sensors in sewer systems that find telltale traces of home brewed explosives as they leak from sinks, bathtubs, toilets, windows or even skylights and find their way to the sensors. The sensors are designed to pick up signs of explosives precursors like chemical reagents and reaction breakdown byproducts. Each sensor is made up clusters of ten centimeter long ion selective electrodes that are submerged in the waste flow. Software then looks for patterns in the concentration of the telltale ions using these electrodes and sounds an alarm when it finds traces of home brewed explosives. Another use for the sewer sensor system would be its ability to monitor illicit drugs by the byproducts of their production present in the metabolites of users.