DOGGIES

Detection of Olfactory traces by orthoGonal Gas identification technologIES

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Border security is one of the key security challenges to be taken up by Europe in the following years. In particular, the deployment of practical efficient means to detect hidden persons and illegal substances at border crossing points is instrumental in avoiding terrorism, human trafficking or smuggling. The DOGGIES project aims at demonstrating (1) an operational movable stand alone sensor for an efficient detection of hidden persons, drugs & explosives, (2) the potential adaptation of this solution for the detection of a much wider range of illegal substances. The project addresses trace detection: it relies on the combination of two technologies based on completely different physical principles, therefore qualified as “orthogonal”: - Mid-Infrared spectroscopy technology, based on photoacoustic detection, which appears as the most powerful and promising to detect a very wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs); developments within DOGGIES will mainly target the demonstration of a widely tuneable integrated MIR source coupled with a miniature photo-acoustic cell; - Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) technology, more mature, as mentioned above; developments within DOGGIES will mainly target the use of non radio-active ionisation source. One of the main operational challenges is to provide reliable detection in real environments, in particular with the presence of “interferents”. It is expected that the use of specific pre-concentrators on one hand, and the combination of the signal emerging from these “orthogonal technologies” by advanced software on the other hand will improve the detection reliability. The Consortium is composed of 14 partners from 5 EU countries, including 2 End-Users; the project activities will cover basic studies in physics and chemistry, as well as sensor engineering and field tests.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Border security is one of Europe's key security challenges. Developing practical ways to detect hidden persons and illegal substances at borders is instrumental in avoiding terrorism.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Precautions at border crossings are also key to detecting human trafficking and smuggling. The EU-funded project 'Detection of olfactory traces by orthogonal gas identification technologies' (http://www.fp7-doggies.eu/ (DOGGIES)) aims to demonstrate an operational, moveable, standalone sensor for detecting hidden persons, drugs and explosives, and for determining whether this technology can be adapted for a much wider range of illegal substances.

The project addresses trace detection, and it relies on a combination of two technologies based on completely different physical principles. The first is mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy, which is based on photoacoustic detection. It appears to be the most powerful and promising tool to detect a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The second technology is ion mobility spectrometry, which targets the use of a non-radioactive ionisation source.

Project activities cover basic studies in physics and chemistry, as well as sensor engineering and field tests. Technical objectives that need to be achieved include identifying the operational specifications and end-user requirements; identifying the most relevant VOCs related to humans, drugs, and explosives or their precursors; demonstrating widely tuneable MIR sources; and demonstrating a miniature MIR photoacoustic spectrometer module.

DOGGIES has already made much progress. The definition of system requirements and specifications, along with three use case studies for final prototype assessment have been completed. Furthermore, the main building blocks required to develop a moveable standalone detector are in place. The final instrument should be able to complement the dogs currently being used at border and custom points.

This project may also have an impact on domains other than homeland security. Trace gas analysis markets are starting to emerge in other areas, including health care monitoring and food safety. These markets are driven by the demand of citizens for more control and understanding of the impact of industries on the environment.