Apr 22 2009
VIASPACE Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: VSPC) an alternative energy company with subsidiary operations in security technology, is planning a mid-May 2009 field demonstration of its high-sensitivity system for detecting and analyzing chemical, explosive, and drug residues in suspect vessels.
The demonstration is part of a competitively selected/awarded phase II contract for two years and up to $786,000 in funding.
Through its subsidiary Ionfinity, VIASPACE is developing a sensitive miniaturized "sniffer" in a joint collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, General Dynamics, Sionex, and Imaginative Technologies. The development project, entitled "Miniature Electronic Sniffer for Navy Vertical Take off Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (VTUAVs)" was awarded by the U.S. Navy's Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program.
Ionfinity Chairman, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Investigator James Weiss said: " We believe the new sensor we will demonstrate will substantially raise the standard for future chemical detection and analysis and at the same time make the process much more convenient and timely. "
Weiss added that while Ionfinity's new sensor technology has direct application in the $55 billion security industry, it is also expected to have commercial applications in environmental monitoring, agriculture and medicine.
According to the Company, the sensor is a compact stand-alone chemical device consisting of: 1) a new and powerful detector called a Differential Mobility Spectrometer; 2) a non-radioactive ionization method that does not fragment or multiply-ionize sampled specimens; and 3) a micro-gas chromatograph for confirmation and enhanced detection capability. The device will detect chemicals and materials of interest at parts-per-billion (ppb) levels after 6 seconds. The sensor is self contained with respect to power and communications.