'Sniffer Mice' Trained to Detect Bombs, Drugs
Israeli Company Tamar Group Developed Sensor to Read Mouse Reactions
An Israeli security company has trained mice to alert guards when they detect explosives, drugs or other contraband, according to an article from the Daily Mail UK.
Tamar Group, which is owned and run by former Israeli special forces officers, say they believe their product could transform the homeland security market, the article says. The group’s system “takes animals and turns them into biological sensors, using specially-trained laboratory mice and measuring their reactions to outside stimuli,” says Boaz Hayun, CEO of Tamar Group, to the Times of Israel.
“They are placed at the entry point in a security checkpoint or installation, and when they detect something that appears suspicious, the sensor records their physical reactions and communicates it to a computer that analyses (sic) the data and alerts security personnel.”
The system – Bio-Explorer – uses sensors hooked up to trained mice to detect changes in heart rte, breathing and other life signs. The animals are conditioned to react when they smell explosives or drugs, and the sensors upload the bio-data to computers, which detects changes caused by the presence and alerts security staff.
The system has been under development for six years. Different versions are being marketed for airports, cargo terminals, vehicle inspections and elsewhere, Daily Mail reports.
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