1. Explosives Detection
NSF / ICORP Program
Ying Wang (Lead)
Yu Lei (PI)
Mike Wisniewski (Mentor)

2. The Business Model Canvas
Field Test
Dedicate Personal
Production Reliable Assistance
US Army
Manufacture of
machine Distribution Cheap Demo Other Gov.
Easy to use Training UN
Existing
companies:
Smiths Rapid Airports
Detection
Large scale
Direct sales.
Profit Explosives
Detection/Cleanup
Flir IP Wider spectrum
Organizations
Partner’s
Development Chemicals distribution
Initiative Limited Non-profit
channels Organizations
Facilities
1 Machine sales
Production Distribution Sensing materials

3. Getting Out of Building (at SF)
• Flir (Fido).
 Action: Sent email and made calls (703-678-2118).
 Feedback: The engineer will call me back
• CEIA (metal detector company in Italy).
 Action: Sent email.
 Feedback: Waiting for email reply.
• United Nations (UN).
 Action: Sent email (bradyj@un.org) and called (212-963-3344) to Mr.
Justin Brady, Acting Director, United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).
 Feedback: The right person will call me back.
• Smith Detections.
 Action: Sent email and called (973 496 9280) to Reno DeBono, Director
of Chemistry and Applications.
 Feedback: Waiting for reply.
NSF / ICORP

4. Getting Out of Building (up to date)
• Security people in train station and bus terminals:
They do not have such need.
• DHS officer in CT (Douglas J. Pesce, Protective Security Advisor,
New Haven District, Connecticut, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security):
Only airport may have interest for explosive detection.
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA, (703) 526-
6630), and DA Management Offices (Small Business Programs
Office, (571) 218-4922)
No reply.
• Old military friends on facebook.
Not helpful.
NSF / ICORP

5. Changes in Hypothesis
Hypotheses 1 Hypotheses 2 Hypotheses 3
Airports need Profit- Non profit- Old hypothesis
our tech. companies will company may
New hypothesis
TSA approval be interested have interests
necessary, this in our tech. and have short
market already they indeed decision cycle.
has too many showed high Their decision
techniques, interests in cycle may be
very our tech, and as quick as
competitive, two NDA under profit
zero-tolerance preparation. companies.
for any
missing the
target
NSF / ICORP

6. Changes in Customers
US Army US Army
First canvas
Other Gov. Other Gov.
Second canvas
UN UN
Third canvas
Airports Airports
Profit Explosives
Detection/Cleanup
Organizations
Non-profit
Organizations
NSF / ICORP

7. Changes in Value Propositions
Reliable Reliable
First canvas
Cheap Cheap
Second canvas
Easy to use Easy to use
Rapid Rapid Third canvas
Large scale Large scale
Wider spectrum Wider spectrum
NSF / ICORP

8. Customers’ Feedback
Mark Fisher, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, FLIR Systems:
• Their explosive detector is too expensive and can not be applied
in large scale. They need high sensitive explosive detection
technique without the use of advanced equipment.
• Currently, there is no better way to large-scale explosives
detection than bomb dog, but bomb dog is still not efficient. In
addition, to achieve high sensitivity, they require more advanced
fluorometer.
• Our technique is sensitive with low cost. Satisfy their
requirement. Non-disclosure agreement is under preparation.
After NDA, we will discuss potential partnership.
NSF / ICORP

9. Customers’ Feedback
Steve Saffin, Operations Manager, The Development Initiative Limited:
• Need high sensitivity because a mine may have been in the ground for
up to 40 years and the presence of vapor is very limited; can be applied
to large scale with low cost and minimum environment impact;
positively identify explosives in real mine field; if possible, it can detect
the explosives in completely sealed container.
• Currently, they use metal detector or trained dog, but the false alarm for
metal detector is too high. The cost for bomb dog is also very high and
can only search for limit area due to the limit number of available bomb
dogs.
• Our technique can satisfy the requirement for low cost and high
sensitivity (operated in lab). Real field test needs to be conducted to
prove its fieldibility. However, all explosives vapor detection technique
including ours can not be applied to the completely sealed container
with explosives (no explosive vapor leakage).
NSF / ICORP

10. Customers’ Feedback
Mark Fletcher, EOD Technology, Inc.:
• Need the technique to be used in the field to cut down the cost
of the labor intensive task of releasing land back for productive
use.
• Currently, labor-intensive explosives detection including
landmine is used.
• Our technique can provide low cost, large scale explosives
detection.
NSF / ICORP

11. Most Valuable Propositions
• Low cost without the use of any high-end equipment
• Potential for large scale application
• Sensitive to broad spectrum of nitroaromatic explosives
• Less labor-intensive
NSF / ICORP

12. Customer Structure
Decision Maker:
• The Development Initiative Limited: The director (Hugh Morris) and
the operation manager (Steve Saffin) will determine whether or not
to use the new technology. However, if the field test is passed, they
will give us endorsement.
• Flir System: The research scientists will evaluate the technique first
and then recommend the new technique to his/her boss. After that,
they will decide to acquire or partner with the new technique.
Budgets:
• They do not release such information, but we will keep digging it out
through follow-up communication.
NSF / ICORP

13. Thank You!
NSF / ICORP