d4diddy, you're right I was trying to use it with ambient UV and or IR, but I also see no reason that a camera type device can't also have a light source that only operates in certain UV or IR frequencies.
As I understand it it takes nearly 30 seconds to get the desired fluorescence, are you aware of any way this can be accelerated. People don't like to wait, even 30 seconds, but I think if our security could be dramatically improved, they'd learn to deal with it.
Computing speeds are doubling every year of two so the processing part of the process can no doubt be accelerated, I know nothing about the fluorescence. We all know fluorescent lamps now come on essentially instantly, but it takes a much stronger jolt of power from the starter than what's needed to keep them lit. Could a short high energy jolt of IR or UV achieve the needed sort of fluorescence that normally would take 30 seconds with a much lower energy source.
I guess what I'm asking is if something like a powerful strobe that only flashed UV or IR was used, could it be effective. I know absolutely nothing about this so please excuse my ignorance. As I see it, if that would work, the camera type devise could be more like a still camera that uses a strobe, every image could be examined for explosives, illegal drugs, etc. I suppose the key would have to be that the pulse of UV or IR was still completely harmless.
Gary
