Battelle of Columbus, OH has been announced as one of eight finalists in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate Opioid Detection Challenge, a $1.55 million global prize competition for rapid, nonintrusive detection tools that will help find illicit opioids in international mail, the company said June 20. Each finalist will receive $100,000 in cash prizes and advance to Stage 2 of the competition.
In Stage 1, the
Challenge called for well-developed plans for automated tools and technologies
that have the potential to easily detect opioids in packaging, without
disrupting the flow of mail. Stage 1 Submissions closed on April 24, 2019, and
the Challenge received 83 submissions from U.S. and international innovators.
Battelle submitted an Automated Multimodal Opioid Detection system, a layered approach to opioid detection. Machine learning algorithms are applied to images captured through dual-energy radiography and hyperspectral imaging. The other seven finalists submitted designs featuring cutting-edge technologies, from molecular resonance detection to X-ray diffraction.
From this point
forward, the eight finalists will join the 14-week prototyping accelerator,
during which they will work closely with the DHS Science and Technology
Directorate, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Office of National
Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) to
develop testable prototypes. Government and industry mentors will provide
specialized support to the finalists on topics such as the inspection process,
trace detection, artificial intelligence, and user design to advance their
plans.
Stage 2 will consist of a live test event hosted by DHS, where the finalists’ prototypes will be tested on-site at a government facility. The Challenge will awared on $500,000 grand prize and one $250,000 runner-up prize. After the conclusion of the Challenge, the government plans to develop these prototypes into the next generation of opioid interdiction tools. These tools will be deployed in international mail, express consignment facilities, and other environments across the country that call for rapid, accurate detection of opioids and related substances.
Source: Battelle
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