Explosives

​​For tall their potential, the utility of non-military drones as a weapon of war and terror is an unfortunate byproduct of their proliferation. This reality has played out in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas over the weekend.

It looks as if the days of the venerable explosive TNT are numbered as researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the US Army Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, Maryland develop a new explosive that has the power of TNT, yet is safer and more environmentally friendly.

Joseph Wang and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego have created a ring with a difference. It detects chemical and biological threats in the wearer's environment.​

Cleaning up toxic explosives at military training grounds can be very expensive using conventional methods, so scientists at the University of Washington and the University of York have developed an alternative – they've created transgenic grass that "eats" those explosives.​

Lately, we're beginning to see how flying robots can play a role in dangerous scenarios, the latest example being a laser-equipped drone that can detect explosives and chemical compounds from above.​

​The strength of spinach isn't only in its nutrients, but also in its ability to be hacked to function as a sensor able to detect things like explosives, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suicide bombers are a tactic that is effectively deployed all too often. One entrepreneur is looking to help reveal such threats with a detector that scans subjects for shrapnel commonly used in suicide vests and explosives.

Scientists have developed a fluorescent material they claim can more reliably detect explosives in the vicinity, by being a bit more selective about when it changes color.

A new robot-mountable, sensor system allows authorities to scan abandoned luggage and get an accurate image of its contents. The contact-free detection system can not only potentially help bomb specialists assess danger quickly, but it could also help them obtain vital evidence.

Researchers at the University College London (UCL) have developed a new sensor with the ability to simultaneously detect five commonly-used explosives. Currently in the prototype stages, the device could one day be used to improve security in public spaces.

Soldiers may one day protect themselves from blasts by wallpapering temporary shelters. It may not be very decorative, but the new ballistic wallpaper under development by the US Army Corps of Engineers uses a special fiber inlay to help prevent walls from collapsing under blast effects.

With more goods passing through the world's shipping terminals and airports than ever before, hunting explosives is a bottleneck. To help US counterterrorism efforts, GE has developed RFID stickers that act as wireless, battery-free explosives detectors that can be placed almost anywhere.