Axcess Presents RFID-based Radiation Detection Monitoring System

Axcess International Inc. has introduced a unique, distributed radiation detection and alerting system based upon its battery-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) long range wireless tagging technology. The radiation detector and alerting system provides constant monitoring for harmful gamma radiation emitting from sources which may be used in a terrorist "dirty bomb" attack. The system was demonstrated at ASIS 2004 in Dallas.

The use of distributed, portable radiation sensors and a wireless monitoring network provides an effective blanket detection coverage area where portal-based systems cannot. The detectors and transmitting RFID tags are both battery powered, so sensors can be easily populated in the open areas of cargo ports, airports, and borders to detect emissions from containers, vehicles and people carrying hazardous radiation sources. The use of active RFID tags to transmit detection signals combines with the detectors for a very low cost wireless monitoring network, able to analyze critical data from a vast array of detectors and alert responders immediately.

"This solution meets the need for flexible, low cost, distributed sensing of possible terrorist material in virtually any environment," commented Ben Donohue, Vice President of Business Development at Axcess. "The system performs real time analysis, monitoring, and alerting and supports immediate evidentiary investigation. It's a very powerful solution."

The network-based solution integrates the RADITECT detector with the AXCESS ActiveTag wireless sensor technology. The ActiveTag RFID unit is integrated into the RADITECT detector to receive and transmit an alarm condition brought on by the presence of an increase in gamma radiation around the device. The system can detect the presence of radiation equal to a single X-ray. A single detection unit or multiple units networked together can be monitored by an infrastructure of RFID receivers connected to the network or the Internet using Axcess' Onlinesupervisor software. The software correlates alerts to filter out false alarms. Alarms are displayed visually and graphically on a map. Alert notifications include: alarms; pages; and emails to local personnel and authorities.

The Onlinesupervisor software can support multiple types of sensors including temperature, pressure, movement, intrusion, biological, chemical, and nuclear. The system is integrated with Axcess' Prism Video line of network-based digital video products, video verification of an alarm will enable security officials to quickly view an actual event and allow them to provide quick response and proper intervention. The ActiveTag RFID system allows for sensor alerts to be sent to a host in serial (ASCII) format or in standard Wiegand format to a control panel.