SPECIAL REPORTTechnology vs. Terrorism

Borders, Infrastructure


Since 2004, some 60 million visitors to the U.S. have had their two index fingerprints recorded by an optical scanner that checks the information against a watch list in Washington, D.C. The $1.5-
billion U.S.-VISIT biometrics program has identified 1,100 people trying to enter the country under false pretenses and more than 20,000 would-be entrants with questionable backgrounds, according to the DHS.

As the archive of visa applicants balloons, scans of all 10 fingers will provide more fail-safe identifications. Systems may also employ iris scans and voiceprints. In the meantime, at 100 ports and border points, a truck-mounted scanner called VACIS (Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System), designed by Science Applications International Corporation, gives customs inspectors a tool to probe the innards of trucks and cargo containers without prying them open. VACIS uses low-energy gamma rays that penetrate even lead-lined boxes to produce grainy images in as little as six seconds. If the operator detects objects that don´t match what´s listed on a shipping manifest, the container can be shunted off for inspection.

Also in development are micron-size sensors-known as â€smart dust†or â€motesâ€-that can be sprinkled around pipelines, unguarded borders and utility plants to monitor intrusions or the release of biological aerosols, chemicals or radiation. Building on advances in sensor telemetry, these battery-powered computers form a network of electronic eyes, ears and noses that can communicate with one another along a low-bandwidth frequency and beam readings to a central server. Experts say that, depending on funding, motes could be ready for nationwide deployment by 2010.

Transportation

Subways, buses, trains and planes-and the hubs that service them-are vulnerable to threats ranging from aerosol-borne pathogens and â€dirty bomb†radiation to truck bombers. Technology out of the California branch of Sandia National Laboratories connects sensors wirelessly or through fiber optics to a shoebox-size device called an Intelligent Sensing Module, or ISM. A network of ISMs at a facility linked to a command post elsewhere can offer facility managers or security agencies early warning of a threat in time to take action. The system has been in use at 30 facilities, including sports arenas, subways and airports, since 2004. As detection systems improve, future versions could be installed at nuclear and chemical plants and key transit centers.

To head off would-be bombers, so-called puffing machines, now on duty at 26 airports, can tell whether you´ve been suspiciously near explosives in the past week. Resembling a sleek outhouse, the $150,000 walk-through machine sends a quick blast of air over your clothing to dislodge trace explosive particles. It then collects the air and sends it to a detector that can identify eight types of nitrate-based explosives-all in seconds. â€We can find the equivalent of a milligram of aspirin in an Olympic-size swimming pool,†says Kevin Linker, a senior engineer at Sandia Labs in New Mexico. A DustBuster-size 11-pound version known as â€micro-hound†is already in development. And to head off suicide bombers, researchers have worked up a prototype of a device to detect explosives traces from a distance of 30 feet away.

The future of secure travel hinges on seamless, instant communication-and 24/7 autonomous surveillance. For a look at the technologies that will soon safeguard your travel plans, launch the photo gallery.