Ember Corp. and RAE Systems (AMEX: RAE) today demonstrated a prototype wireless security monitoring system to help cargo carriers comply with pending Homeland Security regulations designed to prevent terrorists from smuggling nuclear and other catastrophic weapons through American ports in any of the seven million shipping containers that pass through them every year.
RAE Systems’ hazardous environment sensors enabled with Ember’s wireless embedded RF (radio frequency) chips and EmberNet™ networking software wrap cargo in a mesh network “web” that detects weapons materials, details when containers have been opened and sealed, and when contents have been removed or added. This information helps port authorities identify containers that have been tampered with and prevent terrorists from smuggling weapons into the country.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Nov. 18 said it wants cargo companies that ship to American ports to equip their containers with wireless sensors to guard against terrorist threats. Although the department does not plan to mandate the sensors, it will give preferential treatment to “smart” containers and force “dumb” containers to go through slow, expensive manual inspections to clear customs. RAE Systems recently demonstrated the container monitoring solution at the U.S. Maritime Security Expo held Oct. 29-30 in New York City.
“It’s easier to detect potential threats in American ports when we know what’s happening inside the container at all times,” said RAE Systems CEO Robert Chen. “For a minimal cost per trip, the RAE Systems and Ember solution lets shippers be inside every container, documenting everything that happens to it from the time it’s sealed until it’s unloaded.”
RAE Systems’ hazardous environment sensors and rapidly deployable ad hoc networks are used by first responders, armed forces, government agencies and private industry in all 50 states and in more than 40 countries around the world. Ember’s embedded radio chips, EmberNet networking software, and network management tools use a flexible mesh routing algorithm, creating extremely resilient, self-organizing and self-healing networks, with very low power requirements and no single point of failure. Ember-enabled devices automatically route traffic around the typical interference found in difficult radio conditions, resulting in increased flexibility in deployment, maintenance and operation.
“The sheer volume of cargo entering our country every day makes it too easy for terrorists to smuggle dangerous cargo. That makes it all the more necessary to monitor each container,” said Jeff Grammer, CEO of Ember. “We couldn’t possibly do that manually, but sensor and mesh networking technology give us a tool to protect ourselves without letting the terrorists win by disrupting the flow of cargo between countries.”
About RAE Systems
RAE Systems Inc. is the leader in rapidly deployable sensing networks for homeland defense and a leading manufacturer of portable, wireless and fixed atmospheric monitors, photo-ionization detectors, radiation detectors, gas detection tubes, sampling pumps and security monitoring devices. The company’s customers use RAE Systems products to monitor gas and other volatile organic compounds in confined spaces, to establish a perimeter security around hazardous material sites and to detect the illicit traffic of radioactive materials.
RAE Systems’ customers operate in such industries as safety and security, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, utilities, food, chemical, airlines, military and hazardous material storage and disposal, and its monitors are used in civilian and government atmospheric monitoring programs in over 40 countries. For more information about RAE Systems, please visit www.RAESystems.com
About Ember Corporation
Ember removes the barriers to embedded networking. Ember’s self-organizing, self-healing, wireless mesh technology is uncompromisingly robust, easy to use, and flexible. The EmberNet networking platform gives forward-thinking companies the means to create products that do more by communicating better. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Ember Corporation is a privately held company focused on enhancing sensing and control products through wireless connectivity for customers such as Sensitech, Tyco Thermal Controls, and Advance Transformer Company, a division of Philips Electronics. For more information, call 617-951-0200 or visit www.ember.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains “forward- looking” statements, as that term is used in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are denoted by such words as “continue to be strong.” These types of statements address matters that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the general economic and industry factors and receptiveness of the market to RAE and its products. In addition, our forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of other risk factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to our annual report on Form 10-K and 10-Q filings, available online at http://www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to the company on the date hereof, and the company assumes no obligation to update such statements.
