AS&E's MINI Z system wins 'Best of What’s New' award from Popular Science
BILLERICA, Mass. – November 12, 2014 – American Science and Engineering, Inc. (“AS&E”) a leading worldwide supplier of innovative X-ray detection solutions, announced today that the Company’s new MINI Z™ Handheld Z Backscatter® Screening System has been named “Best of What’s New” by Popular Science magazine. This prestigious award is given each year to revolutionary new products and technologies that solve a previously unsolved problem.
“For 27 years, Popular Science has honored the innovations that surprise and amaze us—those that make a positive impact on our world today and challenge our view of what’s possible in the future,” said Cliff Ransom, Editor-in-Chief of Popular Science. “The Best of What’s New Award is the magazine’s top honor, and the winners—chosen from among thousands of entrants—each a revolution in its field.”
The MINI Z system is the world’s first handheld Z Backscatter imaging system, providing law enforcement, public safety, security, and port and border officials with fast, portable, real-time detection of concealed threats and contraband, even in the most hard-to-reach places. By leveraging AS&E’s signature Z Backscatter technology, the system can detect drugs, explosives, and other organic materials concealed behind non-metallic surfaces. Using the MINI Z system, security personnel are now able to quickly assess a suspicious object or location and determine—in just minutes—if explosives or other threats are present in unattended bags and packages, furniture, pleasure craft, small aircraft, and vehicle tires, seats, and panels.
"We are honored to accept the “Best of What’s New” award from Popular Science, in recognition of how the MINI Z system and its underlying technology represent a significant step forward in efforts to protect public safety,” said Chuck Dougherty, AS&E's President and CEO. "Reflecting AS&E’s ongoing commitment to innovation, the MINI Z system is a game-changer for law enforcement and other security officials who now have the critical tool they need to quickly identify and resolve threats to public safety wherever they occur.”
AS&E has received initial MINI Z bookings and has begun to ship systems to end-users and key channel partners around the world. Experience the MINI Z system at www.meetminiz.com.
About Best of What's New
Each year, the editors of Popular Sciencereview thousands of products in search of the top 100 tech innovations of the year; breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories. The winners — the Best of What's New — are awarded inclusion in the much-anticipated December issue of Popular Science, the most widely read issue of the year since the Best of What's New debuted in 1987. Best of What's New awards are presented to 100 new products and technologies in 12 categories: Aerospace, Automotive, Engineering, Entertainment, Gadgets, Green, Hardware, Health, Home, Recreation, Security, and Software.
MINI Z: The World's First Handheld Z Backscatter® Screening System
The MINI Z system is a portable, single-sided imaging system that can go anywhere—inside buildings, aircraft, watercraft, and other tight spaces—to scan unattended bags and other objects in the hard-to-reach areas where other systems can't go. The system uses AS&E's signature Z Backscatter technology, an advanced X-ray imaging technology that detects and highlights the organic materials that transmission X-ray systems can miss, such as plastic guns, ceramic knives, explosives, and drugs. The MINI Z operator controls the scanning function using a simple, intuitive GUI on the system's dedicated tablet, which shows an image of the scanned target in real time—no set up required. Unlike density meters, trace detectors, and portable transmission X-ray systems, the MINI Z system produces an easy-to-interpret image to enable fast detection of organic threats and contraband behind non-metallic surfaces. Easy to carry and use, the MINI Z system is ideal for a wide-range of applications, including checkpoint, VIP, event, law enforcement, and airport and border security. Introduced in June 2014, the MINI Z system was awarded “Best of What’s New” by Popular Science and been named an ASIS Accolades Award winner and selected by ASIS for the best in show, "Judge's Choice" award.
