PINE BROOK, N.J., 3 Nov. 2006. Smiths Detection, a provider of explosives trace and x-ray detection systems, has been awarded a contract with a potential total value, including options, of $222 million by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) to provide next-generation radiation detection and identification systems.
Smiths Detection will supply its handheld and backpack Human Portable Radiation Detection System (HPRDS) to the DNDO for use by emergency responders, border patrol agents, customs and coast guard officers, and other law enforcement personnel.
The detectors can identify and determine the location of incoming radiation and discriminate between normally-occurring radioactive materials and potential threats.
Smiths Detection developed this technology through its relationship with Symetrica Ltd., a company that originated at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton in Great Britain. Symetrica provides technology for the detection and identification of radioactive substances as well as core expertise in the design and construction of gamma-ray detection systems.
