Public security

Explosives Detection – With Laser

The laser science and technology center (LASTEC) in New Delhi has developed a portable device which uses a laser beam to detect explosives in a matter of seconds. A scientist from the center explained that metal detectors and x-ray scanners were not effective enough to detect explosives which a person could carry in gel, liquid or powder forms, among others.

“People carry all kinds of things like shampoo, medicines, talcum powder and so on. It is difficult to judge whether they are disguised explosives without testing in a forensic lab. The handheld detector can solve this problem because, within 12 seconds, it can tell whether the talcum powder a passenger is carrying is an explosive substance or not. The device already has an in-built library of 40 kinds of explosive substances. It will match the result with entries in the library, identify the substance and display the name,” he told deccanherrald.com.

Trinitrotoluene (TNT), nitro glucose and nitrocellulose are some of the explosive substances in the library. Substances which may be harmless by themselves, but can be explosive when mixed with other materials are also included in the database.