• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Explosive detector tested at Quantico

Marine Corps News

Story Identification #: 200541210821
Story by Lance Cpl. Sha'ahn Williams

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va (Apr. 7, 2005) -- A new system designed by Hi Energy Technologies Inc. to detect explosive material was tested at Quantico's C-demolition range March 30 before an audience of military and civilian agencies.

Members of the FBI, Secret Service, New York City Police Department and Bomb Squad, Boston bomb squad, New Orleans Police Department, Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department and Bomb Squad and the NYPD Counter Terrorism Unit sat in the bleachers to evaluate whether the Siegma 3E3 would be helpful to their anti-terrorism missions.

In development since 1996, the Siegma 3E3 is housed in an unmarked aluminum suitcase with wheels. It is hooked to a rugged, water-resistant laptop computer by way of a fiber optic cable.

The remarkable feature of the system is its originality of design and accurate ability to detect explosives, said Dr. Bodgan Moglich, chief executive officer of Hi Energy Technologies Inc.

"This is the world's first and only stoichiometric-based system that can be used without a lab and test tubes," he said.

Stoichiometrics is the science of deciphering chemical formulas, compounds and reactions.

"We are the first company that has developed a way to detect explosive chemicals through steel with a computer," Moglich said.

The Siegma 3E3 emits a small amount of nuclear radiation that reacts to the chemical makeup of an object.

"In a nutshell, we send one type of radiation toward a target, and receive different radiation back," explained Moglich.

Another notable characteristic of the Siegma 3E3 is that unlike detectors of the past, it is a bulk detector - not an anomaly detector. "Our system does not look for traces of a chemical. It looks for bulk, which lowers the number of false alarms usually associated with bomb detectors," said Kevin McKinny, research and development project leader for Hi Energy Technologies Inc. "In fact, this machine can determine exactly what type of explosives are in an item without having to open it."

The demonstration ended when the accuracy of the system was tested on four different objects, ranging from an empty cardboard box to a simulated pipe bomb encased in a steel pipe.

The system was 100 percent correct in each of the case, and had an overall accuracy rate of 97.5 percent McKinny said.

"A system like this added to the military arsenal used for IED identification will enable us to better handle these situational threats with more intelligence," said McKinny.

Marine Corps Systems Command agrees that advances in technology demonstrated by this device can be used to battle the threat IEDs pose to Marines.

"We are interested in any and all systems that counters IEDs because it has the potential to help the operating forces in Iraq by saving Marines' lives," said Joseph Murgo, program manager for counter IEDs at MARCORSYSCOM.

A representative from MARCORSYSCOM attended the demonstration, but a decision has not been made to purchase the Siegma 3E3 at this time.