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CNN Live Today
New Technology May Help Inspectors
Aired November 27, 2002 - 10:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.N. weapons inspectors right now are planning on scouring the terrain in Baghdad. They are looking for chemical, biological weapons, nuclear weapons, and just ten years ago when they were in the country, even just four years ago when they were in the country, they had to use very cumbersome equipment. They used to have to roll in these big boxes to these sites. But now, technology has gotten to be so precise and so small that much of the technology they need to detect some of these weapons is really in the palm of their hand, literally.
CNN Technology Correspondent Daniel Sieberg has more on this. Daniel, it's really fascinating that they can go around with these hand-held wands and actually conduct testing that used to take days or months.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Right. Absolutely. The technology has been compressed, even in the last ten years with typical computers and hand-held devices that have gotten smaller, so too have the gadgets that could potentially be used by the weapons inspectors.
There are about 17 weapons inspectors on the ground in Iraq, about 100 expected by the end of the year, and they will have a variety of high and low-tech gadget with them. Some have definitely improved over the tools that we talked about that they would have taken in the past.
Now, it's not known exactly what tools these weapons inspectors will have with them, but we're going to have a look at some of the technologies that are at least available to them as they proceed with their duties.
Now, what you are looking at right here, this is actually a small wafer. You can see it is about the size of a button; we have got some coins there as well. It is the key component of the new generation of radiation detectors. Now, this is a prototype developed by Argon National Laboratory near Chicago.
As you can see here, the wafer, just on the very front of the -- you can see the black square here -- the wafer is made of gallium arsenide, that is a semi-conducting material, similar to silicon, which is found in most computer chips. It is then coated with either boron or lithium, and can then detect neutrons.
This is the type emitted by the fissile materials that can fuel nuclear weapons.
Now, Argon scientists say it requires about 50 volts of power, can operate at room temperature, and won't degrade over time.
Now, this wafer would be attached to some other types of electronics. You can see some wires here, and the detector is about the size of a deck of cards that would be attached to it. Now, in the past, neutron detectors have had a couple -- they needed a couple of people to operate them, and required a lot more power as well.
We've also got a list of some other possible tools of the trade. This include a bio agent I.D. system, new tools for identifying biological agents. Anthrax detectors, portable devices even the size of a lunch box that can use DNA to identify anthrax.
The neutron detector, like the one we just looked at, the Raptor, which is a portable laser technology that sniffs out toxic microbes. The Ranger, this is a plutonium or uranium detector, and the HANAA, a handheld acid analyzer, also for biological agents.
And satellites people have heard of before, these will also be used, potentially, for long-term tools, used to detect new construction and defensive fortification in Iraq.
Aircraft can pick up details that satellites cannot. Simply they are flying lower and closer. Lower flying drones and choppers can take pictures, for example. Air samples and radiation readings, on site video also. Cameras monitoring legitimate facilities, check to see if the facility has been converted to some other type of use.
Air sampling, special filters designed to detect chemical, biological, or radioactive material. We also wanted to mention ground penetrating radar. This has been used during previous UNSCOM missions in the early 1990s. We're seeing a demonstration of it here, an animation. GPR systems were mounted on small Bell 412 helicopters. The images they received were usable, but the use of the GPR from aircraft was not widely deployed.
According to geophysicists and other experts that CNN spoke with, GPR systems work best when there is direct contract -- contact, sorry, between the device and the ground. There are other handheld ones that can be used on the ground. When used from the helicopter, as we are seeing here, the aircraft needs to fly relatively close to the ground to lessen any possible interference with the signal. There are handheld models as well -- there are some about the size of a standard lawn mower that people could actually push or use along the ground.
Again, we should point out there are no conclusive evidence of what is going to be used in Iraq, what types of gadgets are going to be used. This is just a sampling, or some examples of what is available at their fingertips. And experts agree that technology alone certainly isn't going to be enough. They are going to require some intelligence and cooperation with Iraqi officials as well.
LIN: Yes, and that is the truth. Thank you very much, Daniel Sieberg. Very interesting presentation.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 27, 2002 - 10:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.N. weapons inspectors right now are planning on scouring the terrain in Baghdad. They are looking for chemical, biological weapons, nuclear weapons, and just ten years ago when they were in the country, even just four years ago when they were in the country, they had to use very cumbersome equipment. They used to have to roll in these big boxes to these sites. But now, technology has gotten to be so precise and so small that much of the technology they need to detect some of these weapons is really in the palm of their hand, literally.
CNN Technology Correspondent Daniel Sieberg has more on this. Daniel, it's really fascinating that they can go around with these hand-held wands and actually conduct testing that used to take days or months.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Right. Absolutely. The technology has been compressed, even in the last ten years with typical computers and hand-held devices that have gotten smaller, so too have the gadgets that could potentially be used by the weapons inspectors.
There are about 17 weapons inspectors on the ground in Iraq, about 100 expected by the end of the year, and they will have a variety of high and low-tech gadget with them. Some have definitely improved over the tools that we talked about that they would have taken in the past.
Now, it's not known exactly what tools these weapons inspectors will have with them, but we're going to have a look at some of the technologies that are at least available to them as they proceed with their duties.
Now, what you are looking at right here, this is actually a small wafer. You can see it is about the size of a button; we have got some coins there as well. It is the key component of the new generation of radiation detectors. Now, this is a prototype developed by Argon National Laboratory near Chicago.
As you can see here, the wafer, just on the very front of the -- you can see the black square here -- the wafer is made of gallium arsenide, that is a semi-conducting material, similar to silicon, which is found in most computer chips. It is then coated with either boron or lithium, and can then detect neutrons.
This is the type emitted by the fissile materials that can fuel nuclear weapons.
Now, Argon scientists say it requires about 50 volts of power, can operate at room temperature, and won't degrade over time.
Now, this wafer would be attached to some other types of electronics. You can see some wires here, and the detector is about the size of a deck of cards that would be attached to it. Now, in the past, neutron detectors have had a couple -- they needed a couple of people to operate them, and required a lot more power as well.
We've also got a list of some other possible tools of the trade. This include a bio agent I.D. system, new tools for identifying biological agents. Anthrax detectors, portable devices even the size of a lunch box that can use DNA to identify anthrax.
The neutron detector, like the one we just looked at, the Raptor, which is a portable laser technology that sniffs out toxic microbes. The Ranger, this is a plutonium or uranium detector, and the HANAA, a handheld acid analyzer, also for biological agents.
And satellites people have heard of before, these will also be used, potentially, for long-term tools, used to detect new construction and defensive fortification in Iraq.
Aircraft can pick up details that satellites cannot. Simply they are flying lower and closer. Lower flying drones and choppers can take pictures, for example. Air samples and radiation readings, on site video also. Cameras monitoring legitimate facilities, check to see if the facility has been converted to some other type of use.
Air sampling, special filters designed to detect chemical, biological, or radioactive material. We also wanted to mention ground penetrating radar. This has been used during previous UNSCOM missions in the early 1990s. We're seeing a demonstration of it here, an animation. GPR systems were mounted on small Bell 412 helicopters. The images they received were usable, but the use of the GPR from aircraft was not widely deployed.
According to geophysicists and other experts that CNN spoke with, GPR systems work best when there is direct contract -- contact, sorry, between the device and the ground. There are other handheld ones that can be used on the ground. When used from the helicopter, as we are seeing here, the aircraft needs to fly relatively close to the ground to lessen any possible interference with the signal. There are handheld models as well -- there are some about the size of a standard lawn mower that people could actually push or use along the ground.
Again, we should point out there are no conclusive evidence of what is going to be used in Iraq, what types of gadgets are going to be used. This is just a sampling, or some examples of what is available at their fingertips. And experts agree that technology alone certainly isn't going to be enough. They are going to require some intelligence and cooperation with Iraqi officials as well.
LIN: Yes, and that is the truth. Thank you very much, Daniel Sieberg. Very interesting presentation.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
