Kuala lumpur: In a breakthrough for regional security technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has become the first in Southeast Asia to develop an AI-equipped Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) and Multi-View Drive-Through Cargo Scanner to strengthen border control and safeguard national interests.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, project leader for Malaysia Laboratories for Academia-Business Collaboration (MyLAB) 2/2020, Prof Dr Suhairul Hashim, stated that these homegrown innovations serve as an early defence line against the smuggling of dangerous goods, such as weapons, explosives, and radioactive materials that could be used for terrorism.
He explained that the UTM research team developed a drive-through cargo scanner that employs high-powered X-rays and AI to penetrate steel containers and detect their actual contents, including prohibited items like firearms, drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. This system integrates machine learning and an image database of prohibited items, enabling automatic identification without requiring customs officers to have specialised scientific expertise.
The system also stores images of objects such as bullets, rifles, and cannons, which are automatically cross-referenced whenever a vehicle passes through the scanner. Suhairul highlighted that the RPM and cargo scanner can be monitored in real-time via smartphone, facilitating remote surveillance of any attempts to smuggle in dangerous materials.
He added that in the RPM system, template matching is used to differentiate between safe radiation, such as that from ceramics, granite, or medical radioisotopes, and dangerous radiation that may indicate radioactive materials. When cargo or vehicles are detected with suspicious radiation patterns, the system automatically triggers an alarm and alerts customs officers for further inspection.
Suhairul, from UTM’s Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, noted that the RPM and cargo scanner play a critical role in inspections at ports, border crossings, and major checkpoints to prevent security threats and curb revenue leakage. The idea for the technology emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when imported scanners could not be serviced due to the absence of foreign technicians, leading to a rise in smuggling cases.
A team of ten researchers from the Faculty of Science and Computing was involved in the project, with two patents and one trademark filed with MyIPO to support future commercialisation efforts. Since its commercial rollout, the technology has been deployed at several national entry points, including Kuantan, Pasir Gudang, Westport, and Bukit Kayu Hitam. Eleven units have also been sold to Indonesia.
UTM is also the sole R and D centre for security scanning technology in Southeast Asia, with 70 percent of its workforce comprising the university’s graduates. Meanwhile, Billion Prima Sdn Bhd general manager Lee Yuh Jiunn stated that the strategic collaboration enables the country to combat smuggling and radiological threats more effectively by leveraging local expertise in AI and security technology.
The product, meeting ANSI N42.35-2016 and IEC 61000-6-2:2019 standards for international market entry, was first developed in 2022 with RM1.06 million in funding from the Higher Education Ministry, followed by an additional RM551,000 from industry partner Billion Prima. The company will provide an additional RM1.3 million over four years for the next phase of research, further strengthening UTM’s expertise in AI and border security.