Sound waves can be used to detect homemade bombs from a distance

Engineers have successfully developed an acoustic system capable of detecting home-made explosives & bombs. The main advantage of the new system is that the bombs can be detected from a safer distance. At present, most methods require the bomb detectors to be in closer proximity of the bomb which has proven to be very dangerous. Engineer Douglas Adams presented the new system at the Dynamic Systems & Controls Conference organised by American Society of Mechanical Engineers.


The new system developed by Adams along with Christopher Watson & Jeffrey Rhoads from Purdue University & John Scales from Colorado School of Mines aimed at detection of bombs from a distance. It comprises of a phased acoustic array that beams sound waves at the suspected object. At the same time, a device called laser vibrometer measures how the object is vibrating in response to the sound beam. The nature of vibration reveals a great depth of information about what the object is.


The researchers believe that the best way to detect explosives is to use ultrasonic waves. Adam and his team are now working on studying frequencies that can penetrate other materials like cloth. We believe such systems would play a crucial role in countries like India. We'd like to ask our engineers whether similar systems can be developed as a part of your engineering projects.