Liquid Identification

Link Microtek Ltd. of Basingstoke, United Kingdom, has introduced a new liquid-identification system. The EMILI 1+ uses microwave sensing to instantly identify whether the contents of a bottle are inflammable, corrosive, explosive, or harmless. Originally developed by Germany-based Emisens, it is a multimode sensor that emits an evanescent micro­wave field that penetrates a bottle and enables the dielectric permittivity and ionic conductivity of the liquid to be measured and the type of liquid to be identified. The process takes less than one second. It works with plastic, glass, and ceramic bottles, and can be used as a standalone system or in conjunction with existing x-ray scanners. The system could be used to identify liquids at airports or to check for alcohol at security checkpoints at public events.