What if we could protect public spaces – airports, train stations and other transit hubs – without imposing burdensome restrictions?
Scientists from NATO and partner countries have worked together to find a new way of detecting terrorists in crowded places, remotely and in real time, without disrupting the flow of pedestrians. The DEXTER (Detection of EXplosives and firearms to counter TERrorism) Programme, as it’s known, is a flagship initiative of the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme.
DEXTER uses different systems that collate information in real time and then send to security operators, providing a fast and effective way of tracking and dealing with potential threats.
Once the test phase is over, the DEXTER system could be used in metro stations, train stations and airports, seamlessly improving the security of all passengers.
Transcript
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Dr Luigi De Dominicis
Head of Physical Technologies for Safety and Health, ENEA
GRAPHIC: Dr Luigi De Dominicis
Head of Physical Technologies for Safety and Health, ENEA
‘The terrorist threats are growing in scale and dimension.
It is the duty of the scientific community
to put in place major efforts to develop technologies to avoid these terrible events.’
— TEXT ON SCREEN —
TRIALS OF A NEW
COUNTER-TERRORISM TECHNOLOGY
TOOK PLACE AT A
METRO STATION
IN ROME
SCIENTISTS WORKING FOR NATO
HAVE DEVELOPED NEW WAY
OF DETECTING TERRORISTS
IN CROWDED PLACES
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Dr Henri Bouma, Senior Scientist, TNO, the Netherlands Organisation for applied scientific research
GRAPHIC: Dr Henri Bouma, Senior Scientist, TNO, The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research
‘So it's very important to detect explosives or weapons to prevent terrorist attacks. And the system is able to detect that and share that information with a police officer.’
— TEXT ON SCREEN —
THE SYSTEM USES
A VARIETY OF SENSORS
TO DETECT HIDDEN
WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVES
IN REAL TIME
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Henri Bouma, Senior Scientist, TNO
‘The police officer may wear smart glasses.
And if there is no weapon or explosive detected,
nothing is presented on the smart glasses.
But if a weapon or explosive is detected, then the information is shown on the smart glasses and the police officer sees a picture of the individual that was close to the sensor.
So the police officer is able to follow up and catch the suspect while he's still in the neighbourhood.’
— TEXT ON SCREEN —
THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN
TESTED AGAINST
REAL-WORLD SCENARIOS
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
DR DENIZ BETEN
Senior Advisor, NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme
GRAPHIC: DR DENIZ BETEN
Senior Advisor, NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme
‘This prototype then can be upscaled
and become a real possible commercial product
to be used in metros, airports and other mass transit environments.’
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Dr Henri Bouma, Senior Scientist, TNO
‘It will be possible to guarantee high security
with remote inspections without hindering
the continuous flow of passengers.’
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
DR DENIZ BETEN, Senior Advisor, NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme
‘NATO does care about public safety and we work on specific projects like this to make the world more safe.’
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