Research on explosive vapour detection system for high level security check of terrorist explosives

The terrorist attacks that occurred in the US on 11 September 2001 ushered in an era of increased security and tighter restrictions for those wishing to travel by aeroplane. In 2015, an article by ABC News revealed that an internal investigation of the Transportation Security Administration showed significant security failures at numerous airports across the US. Undercover investigators were able to smuggle mock explosives and banned weapons through checkpoints in 95 per cent of cases. One of the main reasons for mock explosives and banned weapons getting through checkpoints is the increase in the amount of travellers and volume of cargo. Aeroplanes need to be able to take off on time, so inspecting 100 per cent of the goods and people that are travelling is practically impossible. A team of researchers based within the National Institute of Technology, Toyama College in Japan is tackling this problem by investigating a means of developing an explosive vapour detection system. Associate Professor Yotsumi Yoshii and Professor Iwao Mizumoto are leading the project, the aim of which is to facilitate high-level security checks for terrorist explosives and therefore prevent disastrous events in the future