Disposable Electronic Bolt Seal (DEBS)

Purpose of Work The proposed work will provide Government with a production-ready design for a small, low-cost, tamper-resistant Disposable Electronic Bolt Seal (DEBS), which can electronically secure containers throughout the entire supply chain. DEBS will wirelessly report open, close, and tamper events, allowing Government to more efficiently target and inspect containers, improve security, and optimize the use of Government personnel and resources. DEBS incorporates advanced security measures, among them continuous sensing, tamper-resistance and authentication, that will prevent the physical attacks and counterfeiting of seals that plague users of disposable bolt seals today. DEBS will operate like an ISO-17712 market-standard disposable bolt seal, and its $15 retail price, simple operation, and maintenance-free design will facilitate large-scale adoption across all container shipments without increasing workload or impacting the flow of goods. Findings or Results Phase II builds on the progress made during Phase I and will produce final DEBS prototypes for testing and approval by DHS. These prototypes will incorporate all of the features required in a commercial DEBS device. The proposed work culminates in a technical report that will include all of the design and production files needed for large-scale manufacturing of DEBS. Potential Commercial Applications The global market for DEBS is +100 million seals per year. DEBS can be immediately deployed across market segments such as in-bond cargo, transit cargo, maritime cargo, CSI ports, and others that can benefit from tamper-proof intelligent seals. Its low-price and simple yet effective operation will help drive DEBS penetration into other container markets worldwide.