Airbus and Koniku Inc. announced they have made a significant step forward in the automated and contactless detection of chemical, biological and explosive threats to the aviation industry.

In partnership with the Mobile Police Department, the canine squad from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and FBI bomb technicians, Airbus led a series of field tests evaluating the performance of the Konikore explosive detection device.

These tests demonstrated the Konikore was able to detect a widely used primary high explosive, far exceeding expectations and frequently outperforming existing systems used in security threat detection. In these double-blinded tests, the Konikore had perfect scores in sensitivity and specificity for detecting explosive ordnance.

Based on these positive results, Airbus is preparing a series of additional tests with its airport partners, including Singapore Changi Airport and San Francisco International Airport, to validate the integration of this disruptive technology into existing airport security processes for unregulated areas.

Based on the power of odor detection and quantification found in nature, the Konikore technology uses genetically engineered odorant receptors that produce an alarm signal when they come into contact with the molecular compounds of the hazard or threat they have been programmed to detect.

Airbus and Koniku entered into a multiyear cooperation agreement in 2017. The agreement leverages Airbus’ expertise in sensor integration and security operations with Koniku’s biotechnology know-how for automated and scalable volatile organic compound detection​.