Nov. 5 – Crowded places such as underground stations are always potential targets for international terrorism. But the Paris metro is today a safer place thanks to ENEA’s contribution, the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development. The agency successfully concluded a first global experiment using a sensor system to detect, from a distance, hazardous substances (explosives and such). The experiment took place at the Francois Mitterand station in Paris in June 2013 as part of the Standex special project, funded by the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) program through the NATO- Science for Peace and Security Department. Within this framework, ENEA was in charge of one of the four technological research aspects, which covered the development of the critical sensor and its inclusion with a high turnout of people, and the integration and management of a network of sensors that react appropriately to environmental factors such as dust, humidity, and electromagnetic interfering noises… Part of the project focused on developing a laser sensor capable of detecting remotely (without contact) explosive substances and their components on the clothes of passengers. The experiment allowed to verify that the instrument developed by Enea is able to provide real-time feedback to the control system, while respecting the stringent safety requirements for exposure of individuals to allowed radiation levels.
