Cubic Security Systems, a subsidiary of Cubic Corp., is providing an advanced fare media-based real-time threat detection technology to help law enforcement teams to identify and respond to threats from chemical, radiological and explosive weapons in public transit settings under a Canadian government-funded pilot program to be launched this year in Edmonton.

Cubic demonstrated a preproduction prototype of its Clear-Use molecularly imprinted polymer optical explosives and radiological detection system during the 2011 SecureTech public safety and security conference held in October.

Cubic's solution, which includes both radiological and explosives detection sensors and a back-end central command security software system, detected radioactive test isotopes and highly diluted TNT and established simulated threat alerts to the command and control center and wireless smartphones during the event. Canadian authorities will begin testing the concept at Edmonton's Churchill station in late March 2012.

The Edmonton pilot is administered by Health Canada with Canadian Public Works as the contracting authority, and the Edmonton Transit System serving as the test coordinator. Funding for this project was provided through the CRTI, a program led by the Defence R&D Canada — Centre for Security Science on behalf of the federal science and technology community. As part of the 12-month program, Cubic Security Systems will install and integrate radiological and explosives detection technologies within public transit ticket vending and validation machines at the Churchill station under contract to the Canadian firm Mobile Detect Inc.

Cubic-modified ticket validators at the station will have the capability to scan and read color changes on the molecularly imprinted polymer coating to detect potential threats, then link with Mobile Detect's monitoring and reporting software to transmit threat information in real time to law enforcement via high-speed wired and wireless networks. Molecularly imprinted polymer is applied onto an adhesive tape provided by Raptor Detection Technologies of Maryland.