The Technology To Detect Suicide Bombers From A Distance

The Technology To Detect Suicide Bombers From A Distance

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Not many people can argue with the fact that terror is currently the world’s biggest threat. The part of the world being attacked rather than the ones attacking, obviously. The US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and now even East Asia are all under constant and recently growing threat of terrorists entering a country’s territory seeking to cause as much havoc as they possibly can. In short – suicide bombers are our current biggest fear.

Defense technology industries are just as preoccupied by this as citizens and security services are. How does one catch a terrorist who is carrying not a gun but an explosive vest, leaving them virtually unidentifiable to the naked eye? Here is where technology comes in.

One such technological innovation is Rapiscan’s CounterBomber, which can help protect cities from terrorists by revealing their concealed suicide explosive vests. Deployed by security forces around the globe, the CounterBomber system can automatically detect suicide vests and other person-borne threats at a distance that allows law enforcement and the military to intervene.

The technology employs a video-steered radar sensor, video cameras to automatically track subjects, and a low-power radar to interrogate them when cued by video. After automatically assessing the threat in real time, CounterBomber wirelessly transmits pictures or live video of the threat to a remote handheld device.

With this technology, terrorists carrying threats can be quickly detected before they gain access to places with a high density of people – places like stadiums and concert venues such as those targeted by terrorists in the recent Paris attacks. It could also be used to protect people in transport hubs such as airports, subways and train stations. By detecting a terrorist with a suicide vest early, the technology gives forces the opportunity to try to stop the perpetrator before people are harmed. According to the company, the detection time to identify an approaching threat is within 3 to 5 seconds.

Unlike other technologies which raised privacy concerns, CounterBomber does not involve imaging.

Rapiscan says the technology can also detect other concealed threats like handguns and rifles.