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Detecting the invisible threat

Homeland security has never been such a hot topic – dominating Government policy, high on the media agenda and at the forefront of public concern. But it’s not just the military, security services and Home Office who protect these shores, academics can play a significant role too. Alison Laing met Loughborough University’s Professor John Tyrer who, along with a team of top scientists, has developed a unique piece of kit designed to make us all a lot safer.

It’s high-tech, sleek, and the size of a shoe box. There is nothing out there like it in existence. In fact it’s so futuristic, you almost expect Ian Fleming’s eccentric inventor, ‘Q’, to pop up and explain how it all works. Instead, it’s the equally enthusiastic Professor John Tyrer who does the honours. And this is definitely not fiction. Professor Tyrer, from the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, alongside his colleagues in the Department of Chemistry, has invented a device which can identify tiny amounts of explosive particles on people, clothing and luggage, etc. It is non-intrusive, stand-alone, safe and discreet. The kit operates remotely and is able to survey a scene in real-time. It can be set up quickly and many metres from its target.

The £2 million research project, called Explosive Residue Detection, is currently undergoing field trials at un-named locations across the UK. Once commissioned, the implications for counter terrorism, transport security, even tourism, will be felt across the world. Not bad for a system many experts said could never be made.

Professor Tyrer explained: “We are not simple applications engineers here at Loughborough. We deal in radical, step-change technology. If it’s already done, we’re not interested. We innovate. We make stuff nobody else makes.

“When we first submitted this proposal, we struggled to get funding. People simply didn’t believe it was possible. But it is possible. It’s down there, in the lab, and it works. I get a huge amount of satisfaction knowing this technology delivers back to society. We may not be soldiers, the SAS or Home Office types, but when it comes to national security, we academics are on the frontline too. We deal with terrorism, by being clever.”

Professor Tyrer is a mechanical engineer who previously worked in the automobile industry as an experimental test engineer and designer, harnessing laser technology for engine design studies. In 1983 he joined Loughborough University as a lecturer in engineering design. Now he is Professor of Optical Instrumentation and the University’s official laser safety officer.

He also runs a spin-out company, based at the campus, called Laser Optical Engineering (LOE). It was set up ten years ago as a way of funding and developing technology in conjunction with Loughborough University.

Capability within LOE enabled this particular innovative device to be prototyped and demonstrated.

Professor Tyrer said: “I recognised a number of years ago that there was a need for trying to determine whether or not people were handling explosives. Being able to see explosive residue on people would have obvious and significant security benefits, if we could do it.

“When you handle an explosive the chemicals and various constituents, such as the Semtex or TNT, leave traces on your fingers and clothes. The challenge was being able to see those particles, and those alone. That was our biggest problem.

“Using some of the laser technology that we have invented here over the past few years, we were eventually able to adapt this technology so that we could see the explosives and reject all other materials.”

Explosive Residue Detection uses the latest generation of pulsed lasers and video camera techniques. It combines them to produce a large-area, fluorescent, lifetime imaging system. By controlling the laser timing and optical filters, this allows direct imaging of explosive residue uniquely. Once the explosive residue is detected, the system activates automatically and alerts an operator to a positive identification. It does not rely on people watching a TV screen. And unlike sniffer dogs that operate by detecting particles present in the air, this system can be very specific and accurate. It is especially useful amongst crowds.

Professor Tyrer accepts that the kit is so sensitive that some legitimate people will inevitably get picked out. He said: “Police officers, firearms experts and the like, will be identified. But it is up to the operator to take the appropriate action. And in any case, these groups of people are not the type to object to being stop-checked or questioned under these circumstances.”

Explosive Residue Detection is currently being trialled by Professor Tyrer’s company. Though he would not reveal where exactly, its recognised operational uses would include airports, train stations, undergrounds, ports, and would prove useful to police forces, forensic services and the military.

In addition to being a triumph for security and safety, the development of the project is regarded as a perfect example of how inter-departmental expertise can work within universities. The project was a collaboration between Loughborough University and LOE. It used the photo-chemistry knowledge from academics within the Department of Chemistry, the pulsed laser imaging technique developed within the Mechanical Engineering Department, and the laser imaging technology of LOE to produce a stand-alone system that was eye safe.

Professor Tyrer said: “One of the huge advantages is that many of the departments here at Loughborough are in the top five in their subject sectors, many are at the top. So when we do cross-disciplinary research you are able to deal with international authorities in different sectors, and things tend to happen.

“Of course nothing can happen if you don’t have the finances to do the development. Thankfully the University has research funds within it that allowed us to follow our noses. We had our own belief in this project and we convinced our internal peers that it could work. When organisations have an understanding of their researchers they sometimes have confidence, and a better respect, for the likelihood of success than other outside agencies, that don’t know you.

“This system was researched here, invented here and developed here, because we had to. No one else was going to do it. My job is to work with others, identify needs and invent things. The environment here at Loughborough University keeps me motivated because it’s so varied and I’m working with the best there is. You are allowed ‘thinking time’ here, which you just don’t get in industry.”