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 Thermo RadReachBack™ Communicates Radiation Threats
 
  October 10 2007
 
  A Key Part of Emerging "Triad Spec" for Homeland Security Technology
 
WALTHAM, Mass. (March 15, 2006) – Thermo Fisher Scientific Corporation announced that its RadReachBack™ communications system is now available in its full line of radiation detection and identification instruments and systems. The open architecture enables customers to integrate and interconnect their new instruments and installed components, communicating either wirelessly or through wired connections.

"Advanced, easy-to-install and use communications now play a major role in enabling Thermo Electron to meet what we are seeing as a central requirement of city, state, federal and military agencies: that their radiation threat detection and analysis instrumentation work together as a networked system," said Thomas W. Loewald, vice president and general manager for radiation measurement and security instruments.

Thermo's RadReachBack™ detection instruments contain a patented software capability that enables emergency personnel to get real-time, 24/7 technical analysis of radiation samples they find in the field. With the RadReachBack™ system, data from a personal radiation detector (PRD), mobile system or radiation portal can be sent directly to a command center, expert analysis facility, or even a next-level response agency.

Limited network communications capabilities have been available in Thermo Scientific products for several years, but RadReachBack™ is now a branded option available in every identification and detection product, from the new Interceptor™ and RadEye™ PRDs, to the Matrix™ mobile detection platform and ARIS-2 (Advanced Radioisotope Identification System).

Detection, Identification and Communication
RadReachBack™ is significant because it comprises the communications component of an emerging system requirement by security units and law enforcement agencies in today’s post 9/11 world.

Detection, identification and communication – and their integration into a single, state- of-the-art system – has become a central requirement for a growing number of agencies and security groups. Agencies want to integrate the technologies in which they have already invested, as well as the newest, cutting-edge products, into a comprehensive, reliable, networked system.

Homeland security customers who are now using Thermo’s RadReachBack™ instruments include:

  • One of the nation’s largest city police departments has integrated Thermo PRDs, radio isotope identification devices (RIID), transportable, mobile and fixed systems in a multi-layered network
  • A large state’s department of environmental protection has introduced full-spectrum Thermo capabilities in a special mobile unit where weather monitoring is cross-linked with radiation detection and identification – with RadReachBack™ enabling remote-to-base data communications
  • A port authority and harbor law enforcement in a major market are integrating Thermo radiation detection, identification and communications equipment with a chemical weapons detection system
  • The Department of Defense’s Force Protection Group has Thermo hand-held, vehicle and stationary equipment that detects, identifies and communicates as teams check public arenas and other venues
  • The U.S. Coast Guard has acquired a mix of Thermo products for radiation detection and identification – all of which have the capability to communicate with appropriate command centers.
RadReachBack™ gives field personnel immediate access to expert analysis centers. This allows responders – even those with little training in radiation – to understand the nature of a threat they have encountered and call for the proper level of response. Thermo’s commitment is to enable real-time assessment of the threat, with the connectivity required for appropriate and immediate interdiction.

Unique Ability
"Thermo has more than a half century of radiation detection experience. Beginning in 1997, when prompted by an International Atomic Energy Agency/World Customs Organization evaluation, and more intensively since the 9/11 events, we have been focused on developing solutions that meet the new homeland security challenge," added Loewald. "We deliver high-performance capabilities that allow customers to detect, identify and communicate through Rad ReachBack™ technology. But our unique capability extends further. We bring technical and scientific depth of over 50 years. Drawing on that, we deliver cutting-edge solutions."

For example, the market is calling for a new category of pager sized equipment, an advanced spectroscopic radio-nuclide pager (ASRP). Seeing the requirement emerging, two years ago Thermo began developing a response. That led to the new Interceptor™, a pager sized combination of PRD and RIID. The Interceptor™ is small, lightweight and enables the end user to rapidly assess the threat in the field, with optional RadReachBack™ technology incorporating data from a built-in voice recorder and digital camera, as well as the radionuclide and timestamp information.

End Goal: Targeted Interdiction
"Situational awareness is a key security requirement, and disseminating information for data mining, trend analysis and notification to authorities is a critical component in the security of our borders and other access points," Loewald said. "At Thermo, we have instruments and systems covering a range from personal and mobile units to fixed high-performance installations – all with the capability to be tied together and linked to a central command with RadReachBack™."

About Thermo Fisher Scientific Corporation
Thermo Fisher Scientific Corporation is the world leader in analytical instruments. Our instrument solutions enable our customers to make the world a healthier, cleaner and safer place. Thermo's Life and Laboratory Sciences segment provides analytical instruments, scientific equipment, services and software solutions for life science, drug discovery, clinical, environmental and industrial laboratories. Thermo's Measurement and Control segment is dedicated to providing analytical instruments used in a variety of manufacturing processes and in-the-field applications, including those associated with safety and homeland security.