(Released 1 June 2018) After the attack on New York's Twin Towers, the 9/11 Commission recommended screening all cargo containers entering the U.S. But, inspecting 12 million cargo containers annually presents a challenge. Existing X-ray technology is expensive, produces ionizing radiation and requires trained operators to review each scan.

However, a new approach called the Multi-Mode Passive Detection System (MMPDS) provides rapid, in-line scanning of cargo for both security threats and illegal shipments. The system is completely automated and produces no radiation. The MMPDS detector technology is based in part on NSF-funded particle physics research that was originally developed to find and track subatomic particles for nuclear and high-energy physics experiments. The technology, used in Freeport, Bahamas, will soon be deployed in Singapore and the U.S.

Released by National Science Foundation. Click here for source.