Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Ultra-wideband dealing in arms

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 17:18:03 -0400

Ultra-wideband dealing in arms
BY Judi Hasson
Sept. 8, 2003

Ultra-wideband technology, originally developed by the military and kept secret
for years, could be used to determine whether cargo containers have been used to
smuggle terrorist weapons, according to CACI International Inc. officials.

In fact, the technology company is so sure of its application that it has filed a
patent application for monitoring the contents of sealed shipping containers using
ultra-wideband techniques.

CACI's device uses a battery to emit a digital signal that can be read from a
short distance away by handheld devices outside the containers. The instrument can
determine if the container inventory has been moved, increased or tampered with in
any way.
CACI developed the monitoring methodology in cooperation with Advanced Resources
Corp.

(ARC) of Culpeper, Va., and Multispectral Solutions Inc. of Germantown, Md.
"Because it is a digital signal, it can escape a container and give us a reliable
method for reading it," said Russ Tice, president of ARC.

The technology is one of many the Homeland Security Department is exploring as it
looks for new technologies to protect cargo containers shipped to U.S. ports.
"It is not being used like this anywhere," Tice said. "That is why CACI has a
patent application on this technology."

Company officials are talking with supply chain vendors about using ultra-wideband
to build a secure solution for cargo containers, said Jeff Renard, vice president
of CACI's Logistics Support Division.

The digital signal is sent from a tag that costs less than $30. It can provide
information about such environmental variables as temperature and humidity, but it
also can signal if there is a change in the environment of a sealed container
caused by a foreign object such as a newly placed weapon or if someone has
tampered with the container.
Unlike other signals, it does not have a carrier frequency and can be read by a
sensor held within range of the container, Renard said.

It can also alert inspectors about damage or leakage of hazardous materials before
they reach toxic levels.

Ultra-wideband was originally used by the military in locations like the Middle
East, where difficult transport conditions made it critical to assess the
condition of incoming supplies such as ammunition.

But it is the first time reliable data signals have successfully been transmitted
from inside a sealed container without modifying the container, according to CACI
officials.

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0908/cov-securing2-09-08-03.asp

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