A new acoustic detection system, consisting of a phased acoustic array that focuses an intense sonic beam at a suspected improvised explosive device, can determine the difference between those that contain low-yield and high-yield explosives.

A remote acoustic detection system designed to identify homemade bombs can determine the difference between those that contain low-yield and high-yield explosives.

That capability, never before reported in a remote bomb detection system, was described in a paper by Vanderbilt engineer Douglas Adams presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Dynamic Systems and Control Conference on October 23, in Stanford, California.

A Vanderbilt University release reports that a number of different tools are currently used for explosives detection. These range from dogs and honeybees to mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, and specially designed X-ray machines.

“Existing methods require you to get quite close to the suspicious object,” said Adams, Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “The idea behind our project is to develop a system that will work from a distance to provide an additional degree of safety.”

The new system consists of a phased acoustic array that focuses an intense sonic beam at a suspected improvised explosive device. At the same time, an instrument called a laser vibrometer is aimed at the object’s casing and records how the casing is vibrating in response. The nature of the vibrations can reveal a great deal about what is inside the container.