Marlborough company Block MEMS has received a $9.8 million contract to create a detection system to evaluate chemicals, such as explosive or warfare agents, at a distance of at least 100 feet.
The contract from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) is for a system that can detect trace quantities of chemicals from at least 100 feet away, according to a release from Block, a developer of laser detection systems.
“Standoff detection of trace chemicals, such as explosive residues, chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial materials, is a critical unmet need within the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security,” Anish Goyal, Block’s VP of Technology and Principal Investigator of the contract, said in a statement.
Under the contract, Block will develop a new class of lasers to detect and identify hundreds of chemicals on a wide range of surfaces. According to the company, Block has previously worked on such technology and this new award will advance the technology for use in real-world situations.
The award is part of IARPA’s Standoff Illuminator for Measuring Absorbance and Reflectance Infrared Light Signatures (SILMARILS) program and is managed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
