The Morphix Chameleon is a portable chemical detection device. It consists of a reusable

armband An armband is a piece of material worn around the arm. They may be worn for pure ornamentation, or to mark the wearer as belonging to group, or as insignia having a certain rank, status, office or role, or being in a particular state or conditi ...

, wearable over many

hazardous material Dangerous goods are substances that are a risk to health, safety, property or the Natural environment, environment during transport. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials (syll ...

suits, on which removable sensors are mounted. The sensors have color-changing tags that indicate the presence of hazardous or dangerous chemicals in the air, allowing personnel in the field to make decisions about dangerous situations.

Development

The Chameleon was developed by Morphix Technologies during the early 2000s. Morphix Technologies won a Small Business Development and Research grant in 2002 to design a device that could indicate the presence of dangerous gasses or vapors cheaply, easily, and quickly. The design for the armband came from requests from the military, who needed it to be unobtrusive. In contrast, the replaceable sensor part (cassette) came from a need to keep it affordable for police and emergency responders.

Benefits

The Chameleon can be used in high temperatures, arctic cold, in the desert, or even after being submerged in water, and still detect up to one part per billion of dangerous air-borne hazards. After opening the sensors, they have a 24-hour lifetime before function begins to be hampered.

Components

The armband

The Chameleon’s lightweight and unobtrusive armband has room for ten of the eleven sensor cassettes that are currently produced and can easily swap out used sensors for quick replacements. It was designed with military and emergency situations in mind. It can be easily put on or taken off, with enough adjustment to be able to fit easily over even the highest level of hazardous material protective gear.

The sensors

The Chameleon sensors function similarly to

litmus paper Litmus is a water-soluble mixture of different dyes extracted from lichens. It is often absorbed onto filter paper to produce one of the oldest forms of pH indicator, used to test materials for acidity. In an acidic medium, blue litmus pape ...

. The cassettes that hold the sensors are mounted onto the armband and can be easily removed. The cassettes have a small viewing window that shows a uniform colored surface when not exposed to its particular trigger. Once exposed to it, half of the viewing window will change color, presenting a contrast that allows users to recognize that a threat is present. The sensors detect acidic and basic gases,

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between ...

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at Standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions as pale yellow Diatomic molecule, diatomic gas. Fluorine is extre ...

diborane Diborane(6), commonly known as diborane, is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a highly toxic, colorless, and pyrophoric gas with a repulsively sweet odor. Given its simple formula, borane is a fundamental boron compound. It has att ...

hydrazine Hydrazine is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a simple pnictogen hydride, and is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odour. Hydrazine is highly hazardous unless handled in solution as, for example, hydraz ...

, hydrogen sulfide,

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

phosgene Phosgene is an organic chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic, colorless gas; in low concentrations, its musty odor resembles that of freshly cut hay or grass. It can be thought of chemically as the double acyl chloride analog of ...

phosphine Phosphine (IUPAC name: phosphane) is a colorless, flammable, highly toxic compound with the chemical formula , classed as a pnictogen hydride. Pure phosphine is odorless, but technical grade samples have a highly unpleasant odor like rotting ...

, and

sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is r ...

. After opening, they retain functionality for up to twenty-four hours. The sensors come packaged in groups that allow them to change out easily depending on the scenario. These groups are Chemical Suicide, Clan-Meth Lab, and Haz-Mat detection, which are the most common configurations used.

Uses

*Chemical

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

—the combining of common household chemicals to create a toxic gas as a suicide method—is not only a danger to the person attempting the suicide but also to others in the vicinity or police responding to the scene. *Methamphetamine production can release toxic gas when done incorrectly, and police need to be informed before they put themselves in danger. *Emergency crews and first responders use the Chameleon when arriving at sites of industrial accidents when they do not know the extent of damage or dangers present. In addition to being worn directly, the idea exists of mounting the Chameleon onto aerial or ground Drones to further extend its utility in certain situations. The Chameleon won the 2007 Innovation Awards from Law Enforcement Product News in the category of “Haz-mat/WMD”.Law Enforcement Product News

References

{{reflist * Connolly, Allison. "Beach Company Develops low-cost chemical detection device." McLatchy–Tribune Business News. 31 Oct. 2005. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. * Glass, Jon W. "Responders Get First Look at Device that can Detect Meth Fumes." McLatchy-Tribune Business News. 27 January 2007. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. * Otrovsky, Gene. "Morphix Chameleon Chemical Suicide Detection Kit." MedGadget. 28 Sept. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. * Chameleon: Detecting the Invisible. Morphix Technologies. 2005. Web. 20 Oct 2011. * "2007 Innovation Awards." Law Enforcement Product News. Dec 2007. Web. 24 Oct 2011.

External links

Morphix Technologies
Detectors Armbands