Laser Optical makes Lord Stafford shortlist
A major step forward in the ability to detect explosives on people and luggage is set to help a Leicestershire-based engineering company compete for one of the region’s most prestigious innovation awards.
The Explosive Residue Detection (ERD) system, pioneered by Laser Optical Engineering, represents a new approach to ensuring the safety of airport facilities and military personnel on operation, leading to the company being shortlisted in the Innovation in Development category at this year’s Lord Stafford Awards.
Until now the major flaw with sniffer technologies used to find explosives has been the inability to pinpoint the whereabouts of the material once they have detected its presence, something overcome by the ERD system thanks to its fluorescent imaging capabilities, a breakthrough which has impressed the judges.
The system runs remotely, scans a given area (such as an airport security gate) and builds up accurate images showing any traces of explosive residue on a person or item within the vicinity.
