Skout™1.0 A new system for High Footfall Security Screening for Weapons of Mass Casualty

Urban soft targets' such as stadia and large arenas have become vulnerable to mass casualty violence as terrorists exploit the inherent vulnerabilities of large crowds. The recent horrific attacks at Bærum (Norway), Halle (Germany), Manchester Arena (UK), Stade de France, Christchurch mosque (New Zealand) and Las Vegas (USA) are graphic examples of attacks where mass casualty threats (e.g. long weapons, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were used. As such, mass casualty threats represent a serious global problem, making urban soft targets particularly vulnerable.

Traditional screening solutions such as portal-based detectors (whether conventional metal detection or millimetre wave imagers) are ineffective for high throughput screening as they are slow (<750 people/hour), labour-intensive and highly overt. They require individuals to divest their possessions, forcing them through a portal which becomes impractical, costly and slow, (creating viable targets in itself) leading to long delays and customer frustration. Large security organisations and potential customers have confirmed the need for an accurate, high-throughput, early-warning & cost-effective mass casualty threat detection solution.

Using our ferromagnetic technology, Metrasens has developed, with the support of an Innovate UK Smart Award (Project No: 24530 & 72412), the CAST technology, a truly revolutionary mass casualty threat detector. CAST uses a multi-sensor array of low-cost magnetic sensors and real-time advanced algorithms to extract detailed characteristics of the detected objects, which delivers object discrimination. This leads to high throughput screening (\>3,600 people/hour) without divestment or interrupting public flow.

The recently completed IUK Projects have brought CAST Technology to this exciting TRL6 position. We now seek this IUK Continuity Strand 2 loan to bring the first product based on the CAST Technology, Skout(tm)1.0, to full market readiness and support initial trials and large-scale demonstrations with potential customers.

The successful commercialisation of Skout(tm)1.0 is a core focus within Metrasens' overall strategy and represents an enabling technology to open a new global market opportunity. With a vast number of urban soft targets worldwide, this project will significantly boost UK exports, increase safety of citizens and protect public infrastructure.