An agreement for an exclusive commercial license has been reached with UTEK Corporation of Tampa, Fla., and its wholly owned subsidiary, Nuclear Materials Detection Technologies, Inc. (NMDT), to manufacture and commercialize the RadRope™ Nuclear Materials Detection System. Cargo Connection Logistics Holding, Inc., of Inwood, N.Y., a world trade logistics company, will acquire NMDT from UTEK Corporation in a stock transaction.
The RadRope, developed by researchers at Savannah River National Laboratory, is a lightweight portable system for rapidly detecting the presence of nuclear materials in sealed containers without the use of harmful x-rays. Using sensors arrayed linearly and encased in fabric, the RadRope system can be dangled in the 2- to 4-inch gap between stacked shipping containers on a cargo ship by a customs inspector. As the inspector walks along the top containers, a hand-held PDA shows an alarm when any sensor in the array detects radiation levels above background radiation.
The RadRope system can be used in a straight line, a curved line or at an angle, and the length of the system can be easily customized for a variety of different uses. NMDT anticipates use of the technology in a variety of configurations for both seagoing cargo containers and air freight.
RadRope™ Nuclear Materials Detection System (Click image to enlarge)
