Dutch start-up Dynaxion uses particle accelerator against ‘opioid crisis’ & News from day 1 at CES
By Aleksandra Andjelic
Heavy painkillers are an increasing threat to public health. The overuse of so-called opiates such as fentanyl and oxycodone kill tens of thousands of people every year. If it is up to the Dutch start-up Dynaxion, illegal painkillers from countries such as Mexico and China will no longer cross the border.
Millions of airmail parcels are checked daily for items such as weapons, explosives and drugs, which is a labour-intensive process. Moreover, X-ray equipment and CT scanners that are currently used are not a 100% accurate. For example, they cannot properly distinguish powdered milk from cocaine.
Opiates such as fentanyl also escape attention and not without risks. In the United States, for example, more than 60,000 people die each year from an opioid overdose. Much of these drugs are illegally ordered in countries such as China and Mexico and cross the border via international mail. This growing problem is also known in the US as the “Opioid Crisis”.
Scan more accurately
During CES2021, the Netherlands based Dynaxion showed how the scanning of parcels and suitcases for drugs, weapons, explosives and other illegal goods can be significantly more accurate and efficient. With a different approach, according to the start-up, it is possible to determine with at least 95 % certainty what is in a package or suitcase. What is important to note here is that this detection takes place without human interaction.
As one of eight winners of the Opioid Detection Challenge, Dynaxion received $100,000 in 2019 to develop an idea for detecting drugs in postal parcels. The company uses technology that has been used for decades, for example, to detect landmines. The announcement as a finalist and a mention on the website of the White House is certainly quite an achievement for the Netherlands based company.
Neutron bombardment
Basically, Dynaxion “shoots” neutrons with a particle accelerator at a package or a suitcase. It uses technology from the European research institute CERN. The “bombardment” with neutrons reveals the atoms of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon contained in a package. By looking at the relationships between these atoms, it is possible to determine with great certainty what kind of substance is involved. For example, the ratio of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon in milk powder is completely different than in cocaine. The accuracy is therefore extremely high.
Another advantage of Dynaxion’s approach is that the system to be built will soon runs without people. They use artificial intelligence and algorithms, with which they recognize in a split second whether it is a forbidden substance. Updates to the system will ensure that new drugs are also recognized. The systems currently in use require operators to be trained for this.
Compact system
The Netherlands based company has now performed the first simulations. The challenge for the coming years is, among other things, to apply the technology in systems that have roughly the same dimensions as CT scanners now in use.
Intended customers such as distribution centers, customs services and airports still have to wait a while. According to Dynaxion, it will take a few years before a working system is on the market. The focus for the coming year is on building a prototype.
Would you like to know more about the success of other Dutch startups at CES2021? The following are some articles from the first day at CES!
To begin with, here is Dimenco at the live opening of the Netherlands pavilion at CES 2021 on January 11th
And in other news…
If you’re interested, the PAL-V care will be on the CNET livestream tomorrow 8:30 AM PT!
