A “Pen” that Foils a Bomb

June 1, 2010

Resembling a pen and operated by touch, the sensitivity of the device is quite high, as it can identify as little as five micrograms of TATP, an amount that can't be seen by the human eye. An operator touches the tip of the device to the surface of the suspicious material. The tip is then removed and the operator replaces it on the “pen” and presses three levers, each of which releases 300 microliters of solution. A color change indicates the presence of TATP. If it's there, that's the time to make arrests.

At a cost of about US $25 per unit, the explosives tester is being sold through Acro Security Technologies, which hopes that the ACRO-P.E.T. (Peroxide Explosives Tester) will be made available on all flights, giving airline hosts a quick and accurate way to test suspicious materials they may discover. This will help ground authorities to respond more rapidly if a suspected terrorist manages to make his or her way on board.

TATP is extremely lethal and has played a role in major terrorist attacks for the past three decades, relates Technion Professor Ehud Keinan. “It's easy to prepare…and was difficult to detect [until now]. We invented the chemistry. It's based on enzyme catalysis, a colorimetric system sensitive to hydrogen peroxide. We developed the methodology and hold the American patent, which is the basis of the product.” For more information: www.acrosec.com

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