A new project to develop technology to detect the presence of explosive and hazardous materials has been launched with €3.35million of European funding.
A group of European companies and researchers, including laser experts and law enforcement agencies, will collaborate on the CHEQUERS project to create novel technology that will detect the presence of explosive and hazardous materials.https://cdn.specpick.com/images/photonics/download_300.jpg712370
The outcomes of the project will provide new anti-terrorism tools for law enforcement agencies, and help health and safety professionals improve industrial safety on things like oilrigs and chemical plants.
CHEQUERS project partners include M Squared Lasers, research organisation Fraunhofer IAF and IPMS (Germany), Fraunhofer UK Research, Vigo System S.A. (Poland), Bundeskriminalamt (the German Federal Criminal Police Office) and Kite Innovation. Each partner will play a crucial part in the development and rollout of the final applications.
Nils Hempler, Head of the Innovation Business Unit at M Squared Lasers said that as a group of specialist organisations with all experts in their respective fields, they can pool the knowledge and resources required to develop truly transformational technologies that address real-world challenges.
He further adds that the potential application for this technology is widespread. The ability to detect explosives and chemical warfare agents for the security sector and even potentially catastrophic leaks in the oil and gas industry could save many lives in the future.
Dr. Rasmus Schulte-Ladbeck, Forensic Expert at Bundeskriminalamt said that the Bundeskriminalamt as partner in an international consortium of the CHEQUERS project will be leading a group of potential end-users from across Europe. Collaboration with these research partners will provide useful and relevant input to support the development of practicable and user-friendly devices, which CHEQUERS seeks to create.
