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Cosmic Ray Tomograph for Identification of Hazardous and Illegal Goods hidden in Trucks and Sea Containers

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

New scanning technology for customs and border inspections

The scope of counterfeited and pirated products crossing borders is broad and expanding. Currently, only a small fraction of cargo is inspected, and an even smaller fraction of illegal goods is detected by customs workers. New technologies – in addition to the gamma ray and X-ray radiography used to scan cargo at the borders – are needed. The EU-funded SilentBorder project is developing a new high-tech cosmic ray tomography (CRT) scanner that enables safe and fast screening, detection and identification of hazardous and illegal goods, contraband, and persons hiding in containers. The CRT scanner will distinguish between different materials and localize them inside the cargo. The CRT also provides visualised 3D images.

Objective

Everyday our customs workers need to tackle counterfeit goods and piracy to protect the health and safety of our citizens, yet it is estimated that only a small fraction of cargo is inspected and even smaller fraction of illegal goods are detected. Today, the most widely used technology for scanning vehicles, ranging from vans and trucks to railcars, is gamma-ray and X-ray radiography. But new technologies are required for overcoming current technological shortcomings like inability to detect the materials, usage of radioactive and harmful source, low throughput to name some.
Cosmic-ray tomography (CRT) is considered as beyond the state-of-the-art technology in cargo screening. Cosmic-ray muons are highly penetrating, their average energy is about 10,000 times the energy of a typical X-ray and they are practically non-absorbable. They are suitable to identify materials hidden inside of shielded material, too thick or deep for other imaging methods. The CRT is completely passive, exploiting naturally occurring secondary cosmic radiation. Contrary to conventional X-ray or gamma-based imaging techniques it allows to distinguish between different materials and localizes it inside the cargo or vehicle by providing visualised 3D image.
We will bridge the major security gap for fast and safe inspection of large number of cargos by developing the Multi-Functional Passive Detection System. The detection capability is based on using high accuracy sensors for particle tracking in combination with beyond state-of-the art tomographic reconstruction and material classification algorithms.
The main objective of SilentBorder is to develop and validate a new high-technology CRT scanner for border guard, customs and LEAs that enables safe and fast screening, detection and identification of hazardous and illegal goods (e.g. SNM), contraband (e.g. tobacco or explosive) as well as hidden persons in up to 20’ iso containers.

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Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

H2020-SU-SEC-2018-2019-2020

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Sub call

H2020-SU-SEC-2020

Funding Scheme

RIA - Research and Innovation action

Coordinator

TARTU ULIKOOL
Net EU contribution
€ 1 010 125,00
Address
ULIKOOLI 18
51005 Tartu
Estonia

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Region
Eesti Eesti Lõuna-Eesti
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost
€ 1 010 125,00

Participants (9)

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Last update: 19 February 2024

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101021812

European Union, 2024