Sniffing Out Smuggled Money

Aug-17-14 The Bulk Currency Detection System is able to "smell" U.S. dollars, helping to reduce the amount of illicit money being smuggled over the border to be laundered in Mexico.

The machine was created by KWJ Engineering in response to the call for ideas put out by Homeland Security, who was looking for an alternative to highly-trained sniffer dogs. It is equipped with a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, among other devices, which allows it to detect the unique chemical makeup of U.S. dollars by analyzing the volatile molecules emitted by the currency's paper and ink. Finding that unique smell was no small feat—the team had to collect and analyze one hundred $1 U.S. bills in order to detect their signature scent.

The device is still in the development stage, with two to three years before it is ready for trials. The team's next step is to make the device small enough to be hand-held and easily potable.

More Info about this Invention:

[NEWSWEEK.COM]
[KWJENGINEERING.COM]

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