Developing Technology to Help Combat Knife Crime
A safe, fast way to spot concealed bladed weapons
Our Role
Inventing and developing the detection technique
Developed under a UK Home Office initiative, we've created a novel millimetre-wave approach to detecting concealed bladed weapons. It uses radar techniques to tell knives apart from everyday objects like phones, keys and folding umbrellas.
The technology continues to show promise, and we have further funding to continue its development.
Technology Transfer Available
With a granted patent, Iconal is looking for partners to take this technology forward and help make our streets safer, for everyone. This technology is available for transfer.
PUBLIC SOURCE: Gov.uk | Iconal Linkedin Video
Behind the Scenes
The Challenge
Traditional metal detectors can generate too many false alarms in real world high-throughput scenarios, reducing confidence in the technology among both operators and the public. A better approach is necessary for detecting concealed knives.
What We Did
We know a lot about the electromagnetic spectrum and other means for detecting concealed threats. We went right back to first principles and thought about what makes a knife a knife, and how those characteristics might map to different detection signatures. That led us to a novel detection concept built around a property of knives that had not previously been exploited in this way. Our patent demonstrates that.
Through multiple phases of development, testing and refinement, we've turned the idea into a practical system that can be loaded into a van, switched on and trialled in operational settings. The result is a highly usable concept of operations and form factor which, we believe, offers significantly improved knife-detection performance over many existing approaches.
The Outcome
We now have a credible technology solution that could make a real difference in the fight against knife crime. Technology alone won't solve the problem, but it can play an important role. We've taken this concept as far as we can — now we're looking for the right company to take it further.