Airport explosives detection

The agreement will see both companies use their experience in multi-energy X-ray technology and three-dimensional Computed Tomography (CT) to develop a screening device that they hope will improve the throughput and detection capabilities of screening routines.

Three-dimensional CT, originally developed for the healthcare market, provides a computerised image of the inside of an object from a large series of X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation. Developments in the technology are now being used in the security market to help meet the increasingly stringent security requirements at airports.

Under the agreement, Smiths Detection will be responsible for manufacturing, marketing, sales and service of the final product to customers and will absorb the costs into its ongoing research and development spend over the next two to three years. Meanwhile, Analogic will focus on the development of high-precision CT components to be incorporated into the system.

Stephen Phipson, president of Smiths Detection, said: ‘This agreement with Analogic is designed to provide a major addition to our wide portfolio of advanced X-ray scanning and trace-detection systems. It reinforces our position as a world leader in supplying high-throughput, integrated security systems using the latest technology to optimise detection capability.’