AMPLIFYING NERVE AGENT DETECTOR

DEVELOPMENT OF AN AMPLIFYING CHEMICAL AGENT DETECTOR, INCORPORATING A MODULAR APPROACH TO SENSING OF NERVE AGENTS AND OTHER CHEMICALS OF MILITARY INTEREST, IS PROPOSED. THE THREE MODULES: (1) A DYNAMIC TRIGGER WHICH RESPONDS TO THE CHEMICAL AGENT OF INTEREST; (2) A BIOAMPLIFIER WHICH CONTAINS THE CENTRAL SWITCH AND WHICH PROVIDES AN INITIAL AMPLIFICATION STAGE; AND (3) AN ELECTROCHEMICAL TRANSDUCER WHICH CONVERTS THE BIOCHEMICAL REACTION PRODUCTS INTO AN ELECTRONIC OUTPUT; CONSTITUE THE STUDY SYSTEM. THE PROPOSED PHASE I RESEARCH SEEKS TO DEMONSTRATE THE CAPABILITY OF THE DYNAMIC TRIGGER MODULE TO DRIVE THE ACTION OF THE BIOAMPLIFIER (FOR WHICH PROOF-OF-CONCEPT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY SHOWN), AND THE CAPABILITY OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL MODULE TO GENERATE AN OUTPUT. SUBSEQUENT R&D (PHASE II) SEEKS TO INTEGRATE THESE MODULES INTO A SELF-CONTAINED WORKING PROTOTYPE DEVICE WHICH CAN BE EVALUATED IN LABORATORY OR FIELD SITUATIONS.