Terrorism has become the most prominent security issue of the 21st century and fighting terrorism is a top priority. Our society has been the target of a series of deadly terror attacks in recent years. Explosives or bombs can be made easily at home and hidden simply in a suit or under clothes, making it impossible to notice without specialised equipment. Existing solutions such as X-ray machines, security scanners and body search, are not capable of detecting explosives as such: they merely detect objects which might be explosives. In addition, they often require the direct involvement of security staff, resulting in time-consuming procedures. Therefore, even simple bag or body screening can significantly increase the waiting time and crowd.

The Eye on Air solution is a fast non-intrusive screening system for detecting explosive materials in public areas. The key innovation lies in an ultra-compact Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) sensor, capable of detecting any kind of explosives as required by the European Civilian Aviation Conference (ECAC) within 2-5 seconds. The first application of the IMS technology will be AirBrush, a shoe-specific explosive vapour detection system for airports. AirBrush is the first effective shoe-specific explosive detection system, enabling seamless and quick screening of passengers while significantly cutting waiting time in line and operational costs for security.