Terror-Hunters' Human Scent Collectors

Terrorists: You can run. But with that body odor, you can't hide.

That's the idea behind a new program from the Technical Support Working Group, or TSWG. The research arm of the government's anti-terror fight is looking to for someone to build "a rugged, reliable, and compact system for canine handlers to collect human scent for future use to track a specified target."

There are similar systems around today, the group notes. But they're "too large and fragile to be used in an operational environment." TSWG wants a handheld, rugged device to do the job, instead. And the group has laid an exhaustive set of criteria for any contractor looking to build the thing:

The system shall be able to withstand extreme environmental conditions and temperatures and will meet the following standards:

Body:• Shall be a polished surface, anodized aluminum housing (Black color) that contains a fan motor, power supply, and electronics;• Shall be housed in a cylinder that measures no longer than 15 inches in length and 2.5 inches in diameter; • Must have an independent holder that permits the unit to stand upright on its own; and• Shall have two on/off switches:o One timed switch that can be externally adjusted, ando One standard on/off switch. Fan: • Shall have the exhaust diffused around the circumference of the unit housing; shall not be a directional exhaust;• Shall be able to maintain constant rpm within +/- 5 percent throughout the duty cycle of the battery;• Shall be capable of running at variable speeds; and• System battery shall be able to sustain a minimum of 30 minutes of continuous operation at the highest fan setting.

Power: • Shall be standard C cell or D cell batteries;• The system must provide low battery indication; and• The system shall prevent continued operation as well as shut down if available amperage is below operating level.

Scent Pad Holder:• Shall include Teflon-coated surgical pad holders that attach to the end of the unit body;• Shall provide surgical pad holders in the following sizes:o One - 2 inch by 2 inch surgical pad holder, ando Two - 4 inch by 4 inch surgical pad holders• Must be easy to clean; and• Shall be hinged on one side with a simple latching mechanism for easy insertion of scent collection material.

Case – two cases are required:• First, shall be a portable and watertight case that form fits the Scent
Transfer Unit (STU), one replacement battery, and one surgical pad holder; and• Second, shall be a portable and watertight case that form fits the portable STU case, batteries, battery charger, pad holders, and an empty section of the case to hold alcohol swabs, one box of nitrile gloves, disposable forceps, and scent pad material.Cost• Shall be no more than $2000 for each system.

The big thinkers at Darpa are developing a more far-reaching program, to figure out exactly which genetic markers in "human emanations
(urine, sweat, etc.)... can be used to identify and distinguish specific high-level-of-interest individuals within groups of enemy troops." At the University of Buffalo, researchers a working on "a little chemical lab analyzes the sweat, body odor, and skin flakes in the human thermal plume – the halo of heat that surrounds each person."

Of course, dogs know how to do that already.