Robotic Ferret

Ever since 9/11 securing cargo containers has appeared to be a nightmarish task. Now robotic ferrets have been enlisted for inspecting cargo containers. The ferrets will help detect radioactive materials, drugs, and explosives, as well as illegal imigrants smuggled within the containers.

Dubbed the "cargo-screening ferret" and designed for use at seaports and airports, the device is being worked on at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). . . The ferret will be the world's first cargo-screening device able to pinpoint all kinds of illicit substances and the first designed to operate inside standard freight containers. It will be equipped with a suite of sensors that are more comprehensive and sensitive than any currently employed in conventional cargo scanners.

The full story titled, Robotic ferret to secure cargo containers, is available on the Homeland Security Newswire.