Anti-smuggling by mink machines

British scientists are building a fox-like robot to look for illegal drugs, weapons, explosives and illegal immigrants in cargo containers.

With the University of Sheffield mink, customs officials can pinpoint the exact type of banned goods and where they are stored in the container. Photo: sfgate.com.

Ports and airports use only professional dogs and scanners to detect drugs and explosives in containers. The scanning equipment only provides information about the shape and density of the object. New advances in laser technology and fiber optics allow UK University of Sheffield researchers to create scanning equipment capable of detecting microscopic particles of every substance, more precisely than all devices. Sweep goods are being used around the world.

However, they are small enough to be attached to the 30 cm body of the weasel. Thanks to them, the weasel is capable of detecting much less prohibitive quantities than the scanning equipment used. When the mast is put on the container, it will cling to the roof of the barrel thanks to a magnet and then automatically move around to look for smuggled goods. It continuously transmits data to the control center.

Dr Tony Dodd, head of the research project, said: 'We want to make a device that is easy to use but has the absolute precision to assist the customs forces in fighting smuggling. Our machine is capable of identifying smuggled goods and where they are hidden. '

According to Dodd, the mink will also be a useful tool in the fight against human trafficking and illegal immigration. Customs officers, police and border patrol officers are so hard to spot in the bin. Meanwhile, the use of X-rays is prohibited by international law because its radiation can damage people inside the barrel.

'The sensor is capable of mink machine detects extremely small amount of _CO2 in the tank. As we all know, the existence of CO ₂ is a sign that there are people in the barrel, ' he explained.

If there are mink machines, security and customs personnel will not have to go into the bin or unload the goods for inspection. These jobs do not only spend a lot of time, but they can also put them in dangerous situations if they have explosives, drugs or harmful substances.

Dodd said that models of the weasel will be tested for two years and likely to be available in the market within five years.