DrugDetect Platform

DrugDetect-F1 Fentanyl Detector: Safe/Easy/Quick

 

Although methamphetamine use is growing rapidly, the highest priority of state, local and federal law enforcement in the US is fentanyl. Fentanyl is a special case given its extreme toxicity and the difficulty of detecting small amounts mixed in with other substances for which there is currently no adequate handheld optical instrument. This requires both high sensitivity and specificity. A fentanyl detector with a similar high sensitivity and accuracy as the methamphetamine (M1) detector has been under development and the product is launching currently ( starting in late in Q2’22), and is named the DrugDetect-F1. This device is focused on making Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) safer and more efficient in their roles. This easy-to-use point and measure device is small, robust , and fast. It will detect both methamphetamine and fentanyl at two levels of concentration, and with two automated separate spectroscopic channels ( and both for the same price as the previous one substance device).

The DrugDetect platform provides a solution that is easy to operate and offers great sensitivity and accuracy at an inexpensive price point. By pointing the scanner at a suspected substance (even through thin transparent plastic bags), the detector will show whether there is a prosecutable amount of methamphetamine present or a trace amount that warrants continued search. For fentanyl, both trace amounts (100µg) and potentially dangerous amounts (900µg or greater) are displayed using the simple "red, yellow, or green" LED system.

Note, the DrugDetect-F1 is a highly sensitive device designed for specific calibrated measurements of "bulk powder chemicals", either loose on a surface or through a thin transparent plastic bag (so that exposure to the air you breath is not needed).

It is NOT to be used to point at various surfaces or materials or objects, as the calibrated responses will often make no sense when this "bulk powder chemical" sensing device is used in this other inappropriate manner. If the powder is loose on a surface and can cover a small area about the size of the red pointing laser dot (for distance sensing) there should be no surface reflections or interactions to disturb the result. If the amount of powder is very sparse and can only be measured while also observing the surface underneath, there MAY be sometimes where the surface material might lead to inconsistent result. In many cases, however, even very small amounts of fentanyl residue will still show up correctly as trace readings, but this device is NOT intended to find such residue on various random surfaces.

THIS DEVICE is intended to simply perform a threat assessment on a BULK POWDER CHEMICAL sample, to quickly and efficiently identify whether Fentanyl or Methamphetamine exist in the powder being examined (even through a transparent plastic bag), so a law enforcement officer will know if a dangerous chemical like fentanyl is present in this sample, at a trace or even more dangerous level. If various street pills are to be tested for fentanyl content, they must be slightly crushed (WITHIN a thin transparent plastic bag to keep the surroundings safe) first, to expose the bulk chemicals inside, and thus provide access to the content.

The correct measurement procedure can be seen in the related training video on the product page of the LightsenseTechnology.com website.

 

 

 

DrugDetect-M1 Methamphetamine Detector


Lightsense is providing analytical tools to detect illicit drugs with high accuracy and sensitivity. The first product was a methamphetamine detector (scanner) that can detect powder or crystalline forms of methamphetamine in bulk form, even when mixed with other substances, and through thin transparent plastic bags.

A unique feature of the Lightsense methamphetamine scanner is its ability to accurately detect methamphetamine in mixtures of other substances, often used as a disguise, at concentrations down to less than 1%, far beyond the capabilities of competing spectroscopic techniques.

The handheld device is the size of a smartphone and can be carried and concealed easily, giving law enforcement officers an advantage in combating drug crime. The test results are instantaneous and non-destructive and can be conducted without touching or disturbing the surfaces scanned, including scanning through plastic bags, plastic wrap, and wax paper. The ease of use and its ruggedness––it can be dropped onto a hard surface from a few feet without usually incurring damage––makes it extremely valuable for use in the field.

Also, For building "inspection", the "I" version:
Methamphetamine when smoked or produced leaves a long-lasting residue on walls and furniture that is hazardous to occupants, in particular children and pets prone to lick surfaces.

Lightsense has developed a version of its methamphetamine detector for "building inspector" applications, DrugDertect-M1-I, which has been used successfully to detect trace quantities of the drug in homes, cars, and RV’s and in commercial buildings including hotels, making the detector a valuable tool for building inspection. The ability to get a near instant reading on the presence of methamphetamine avoids the expense and time of sending large numbers of samples to remote laboratories.

These handheld illicit drug detector products are based on Lightsense’s patented advanced optical detection technology, fusing two or more separate spectroscopic techniques, and provide unique solutions to the challenges of identifying chemical substances in critical environments.