Science Application International Corporation (SAIC) will design a sensor based on canine sense of smell to detect dangerous chemicals war zones.
SAIC announced Wednesday that it has been awarded an $18 million contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office, reports BizSanDiego."
The money was awarded to SAIC to design and develop a sensor inspired by canines' sense of smell.
This project is part of DARPA’s RealNose Program. The development will mainly take place in San Diego and is expected to finish by December 2010.
The goal of this RealNose program is to build an artificial “nose” with a detection system that has capabilities stronger than a dog.
This breakthrough will simulate all the components of a canine sense of smell and could help protect U.S. forces in war zones by spotting explosives and chemical or biological weapons.
SAIC senior vice president John Fratamico said, “There is a critical need for sensitive detection and accurate identification of chemicals and mixtures of chemicals, such as explosives and chemical weapons that threaten our deployed troops.”
