PenBlog – Marek Helm of GScan

Recently I had a fascinating Pencast conversation with Marek Helm, the CEO of GScan. The full conversation is available here: https://spoti.fi/3E8D8YA

GScan is an Estonia-based producer of vehicle and cargo scanning technology that employs cutting-edge developments in atmospheric ray tomography. Data provided by muons, electrons, positrons and neutrons that pass through objects, after being processed by AI and machine learning, allows the non-intrusive identification of cargo contents.

GScan was recently named the winner of the PEN-CP Innovation Award for its breakthrough technology and applications.

This post summarizes some of the key points covered in the Pencast.

Intro:

• Marek's background in customs and taxation

• How GScan was created

How GScan's muon technology compares to conventional x-ray scanning and tomography:

• The chemical composition of bananas and cocaine.

• The Estonian government has engaged GScan to model cleanup of a former Soviet nuclear submarine.

Infrastructure projects for GScan, including:

• The Italian government is trying to scan their reinforced concrete bridges.

• Reassess major infrastructure projects in the US

GScan technology and ongoing collaborations:

• GScan detector panels are scalable, like Lego blocks

• The SilentBorder project

• The company expects to be performing large containers by 2025

• Collaboration with the prison authorities

The accuracy of the technology:

• Cocaine and bananas have the same density, so hard to detect with conventional scanning technology

• But muon scanning allows the detection of the chemical composition, not just the shape/density, so is effective in detecting cocaine hidden in banana shipments

• How GScan uses machine learning and AI

The GScan community:

• Regular interactions with universities and scientific research centres.

• Customs is an international family, that crosses borders and cuts through national divisions.

Next steps for GScan:

• The importance of computer processing power.

• Finding the right balance between facts and technology.

• The future of customs innovation is here.

Selected slides on GScan technology and activities: