en.Wedoany.com Reported - Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT Lincoln Laboratory) have developed a throwable, baseball-sized sensor capable of remotely detecting hazardous vapors and aerosols. Named the Tactical Optical Spherical Sensor for Interrogating Threats (TOSSIT), the device is designed to alert military personnel, first responders, and law enforcement to chemical threats such as nerve agents, blister agents, industrial chemical accidents, or fentanyl dust.
Users can throw, deploy via drone, or launch TOSSIT into a target area. The sensor detects chemicals by sampling the air and using an onboard camera to observe color changes on replaceable dye cards. Once a specific chemical is detected, TOSSIT notifies the user through an app or sensor alert.
Lead researcher Richard Kingsborough stated that TOSSIT fills an unmet need by providing a low-cost detection solution for vapor and solid aerosol threats, such as toxic dust particles, which small deployed sensor systems were previously unable to detect.
