Sensors & Electronics
Awards & Recognition
R&D 100 Awards
2003 - Product Acoustic Signature System (PASS)
Developers: Aaron Diaz, William C. Cliff, Richard A.
Pappas, Brion J. Burghard, James R. Skorpik, Larry D. Reid, Juan D. Valencia,
Brian J. Tucker, Kayte M. Judd, Joe C. Harris, Todd J. Samuel, O. Dennis
Mullen.
Contact: Aaron Diaz
PASS is an acoustic inspection device that uses ultrasonic pulse echo technology to non-intrusively interrogate and identify the contents of sealed containers. With PASS in hand, Customs inspectors can tell if the tanker truck or barrel in front of them contains crude oil, vegetable oil, or chemical weapons agents. PASS can also detect hidden packages and compartments and determine the container’s fill level—all without having to open lids and conduct time-consuming, potentially hazardous physical sampling and searches.
PASS was developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and is licensed to Mehl, Griffin, & Bartek, Ltd. which is manufacturing and marketing the device. It gives Customs officials a valuable tool in their efforts to identify weapons of mass destruction, stop smuggling, enforce tariffs, and deter illicit drug trafficking. PASS also provides one of the safest, simplest means available for inspecting chemical weapons and for uncovering weapons smugglers at international borders. While it helps keep commerce moving, PASS provides that ounce of prevention critical to homeland security and can play an integral role in the verification activities needed to help maintain world stability.
Excerpted from PNNL R&D 100 webpage.
Selected Links to Related Information:
- Related Examples (Same Project)