Chemical Acoustic Signature System (CASS)

The Chemical Acoustic Signature System (CASS) is a non-intrusive chemical identification system that quickly identifies and measures the contents of sealed containers without having to open them. It is intended to advance current methods for screening and sorting hazardous chemicals to support site security guidelines. CASS uses a series of ultrasonic pulses to measure the acoustic signature of a liquid. The technology was developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. More than 100 units have been sold to such agencies as the United Nations, the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, and the U.S. Customs Dept. Powered by rechargeable batteries, CASS is the size of a hair dryer and is attached to a Pocket PC handheld computer that contains a database of chemicals. CASS can identify contents in containers with diameters ranging from 8 in. to 96 in., and has been known to even detect the difference between Coke and Pepsi.