'Sniffing' sensors set to be unveiled

technix

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'Sniffing' sensors set to be unveiled
Friday Oct 13 21:40 AEST

University of Newcastle scientists say they could revolutionise border security with new chemical sensors which can detect explosives and illegal drugs.

The sensors, which "sniff out" illicit substances, are coated onto walk-through screening devices similar to the metal detectors already in use at airports.

Associate Professor Adam McCluskey, who is leading the research team, said the new technology would be quicker and up to 100 times cheaper than current methods of detecting explosives and drugs.

At present positively identifying suspicious substances involves lengthy laboratory tests.

"With our technology the drug would be detected on a person, in luggage or in cargo, and correctly identified in a matter of seconds, just by that person or item being near one of the sensors," Prof McCluskey said.

The Australian Research Council has awarded the University of Newcastle scientists nearly $400,000 over three years to develop the technology.

The researchers, who are working with Australian Federal Police, say they could have a prototype device within 18 months.
Ninemsn
 
wow, shit. so does this mean if you have some spilled powder (say, molly or coke) on your bag, they could nab you for that? how sensitive are these things?
 
Don't worry.

If Professor Dipshit's machine is that sensitive, then the cocaine on the money carried by 99% of the population will set the thing off and render it useless...
 
And what IS IT with the fucking Australians? They have a beautiful, prosperous country, why are they ruining it by adopting the Draconian mentality of the USA and seemingly taking it a notch higher?

I mean, pretty soon everyone will be triple-scanned by poopy snoopers just by walking out their front door and who wants to live like THAT?

It seems the more potential for goodness a country has, the more it gets fucked up by drug warrior philosophies. Maybe it's encoded in the genes...
 
Probably because Australians already have an addiction problem with alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana, and meth isn't far behind now, in front of MDMA.

I think it's just the government. John Howard (Bush's little ass-suck-monkey) doesn't like the Harm Minimisation code that Labor brang into the country in the 80's and he's been doing a lot to get rid of it, because he believes it isn't helping people get off drugs.
 
Yeah, that is not new at all. They have used this on me when I entered Israel from a land border-crossing while backpacking through the mid-east. Luckily, they seemed to have only been "sniffing" for explosives, since my Acid, Valium and Speed remained unsniffed ;).
 
^^^^ Right. Looks like Professor Dipshit got a research grant to fund yet another Invention of the Square Wheel; that is, he's a shrewd proposal-writer and media attention-getter.
 
Splatt said:
I think it's just the government. John Howard (Bush's little ass-suck-monkey) doesn't like the Harm Minimisation code that Labor brang into the country in the 80's and he's been doing a lot to get rid of it, because he believes it isn't helping people get off drugs.

Aah...now I see. I'm sure it comforts the Australian people knowing a little ass-suck-monkey is looking to America's Drug War strategies of criminalization/marginalization of citizens, long prison terms, and government lies, misinformation, and corruption as a model that is quite successful in helping people get off drugs.

Hopefully they will someday feed these ass-suck-monkeys to the koalas...
 
they already have a system similar to this at the canadian/usa border. Last time i visited the sad country they rubbed a piece of "paper" on my backpack and droped that paper in a computer/analysis machine thingy and it said my bag was not carriing dope.

its done in 15 secs
 
tobala said:
Don't worry.

If Professor Dipshit's machine is that sensitive, then the cocaine on the money carried by 99% of the population will set the thing off and render it useless...


they proposed using electronic "sniffers" for law enforcement 15+ years ago.. but the drugs on currency issue caused them to scrap the whole idea. too many false positives..
 
Kurv. said:
they already have a system similar to this at the canadian/usa border. Last time i visited the sad country they rubbed a piece of "paper" on my backpack and droped that paper in a computer/analysis machine thingy and it said my bag was not carriing dope.

its done in 15 secs

Well next time insist that they also "test" a $1 bill.....have them rub their paper right around George Washington's nostril...when they run it through the snooper and the bell goes off tell 'em you have a whole backpack full of dollar bills...it's your travel money, y'know.
 
Kurv. said:
they already have a system similar to this at the canadian/usa border. Last time i visited the sad country they rubbed a piece of "paper" on my backpack and droped that paper in a computer/analysis machine thingy and it said my bag was not carriing dope.

its done in 15 secs


They have these and other types of sniffers in some airports. JFK comes to mind.
 
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