Lynchburg company helps create sensor that detects hazardous chemicals

By Bryan Gentry
Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: March 17, 2008

A new hazardous chemical detection system uses a laser to sniff out and quickly identify hazardous chemicals, sending an early warning that hopefully could save lives.
Chem Sight, invented and developed in Virginia, boasts the ability to identify hundreds of dangerous chemicals. It’s now being marketed for use in subways and other public spaces.
A University of Virginia professor invented Chem Sight, and it was developed and commercialized by Avir Sensors in Charlottesville, with help from a Lynchburg technology firm.
“It’s one of those very few times that you have a product that fills a defined need for both homeland security and industrial safety,” said Dean Johnson, president of Avir Sensors.
“This is a sensor that you would put up, and if one of hundreds of chemicals came by, it could identify it rapidly because it doesn’t use chemistry,” he said.
Some detection systems analyze the chemistry of a gas to identify it. That takes more time and maintenance, Johnson said.
He compared Chem Sight to a camera: It sends a laser between two boxes. The receiver identifies gasses passing through the beam by the way the chemical absorbs the light.
That can alert emergency crews to a situation, and help them know exactly what they’re up against, whether it’s a gas leak in an industrial complex or a chemical attack.
“The core technology has been in development for six years,” Johnson said. “It has only been since late 2007 that we have commercialized it in earnest.”
Avir Sensors developed a working prototype and brought it to Advanced Manufacturing Technology Inc. in Lynchburg.
AMTI “provided us the best combination of engineering for manufacturing and manufacturing quality that we could find within a day’s drive,” said Johnson.
AMTI helped Avir Sensors industrialize the product, engineering the design for mass production and finding suppliers for every piece.
Larry Hatch, president of AMTI, said he was eager for his company to help Avir Sensors.
“This is an important technology, and they’re the right team at the right time to make this thing happen and provide an important benefit to society,” Hatch said. “We recognized that the very first time these guys walked in.
“We’re proud to be a part of this.”
Johnson said Avir Sensors spent much of February going to national and international trade shows to demonstrate the product.
Some orders have already come in. Johnson said 37 distributors are set up worldwide, and he’s trying to build that network.
He expects Chem Sight to be in use by the summer. Its list price starts at $30,000.