In the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, there was an urgent need for technology that could accurately screen explosive material. VaporID emerged in the wake of that national tragedy and has since become a viable tool for preventing illicit fentanyl and other dangerous substances from crossing our borders.

VaporID weighs less than 50 pounds and is about the size of a microwave oven — but it has the strength and accuracy to detect even the faintest wisp of fentanyl or other illicit vaporous substances within seconds. VaporID can also detect fentanyl analogs, or substances that are very similar but slightly tweaked to avoid detection.

The device was originally the size of a refrigerator when it was first developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). In 2021 — about six years after industry first began engaging with VaporID — PNNL’s Technology Commercialization Office funded work to reduce the size and cost of the product.

Through the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s Commercialization Accelerator Program, PNNL partnered with BaySpec, which developed the portable form of VaporID. In 2023, only a month after being paired with PNNL, BaySpec obtained a non-exclusive license with PNNL to manufacture and sell VaporID instruments.

VaporID’s greatest breakthrough was becoming the best technology at identifying trace levels of vapors that were previously undetectable. Because detection takes only seconds, VaporID provides real-time, non-contact detection without disrupting the flow of passengers, border checks, and baggage screenings — something initial versions of vapor detection technology struggled with, as they needed to use contact sampling and did not always separate harmful vapors from things like fuel and perfume.

Since its development, VaporID has become a critical national security tool positively impacting the American public. The technology received several awards, including GeekWire’s 2020 Innovation of the Year and R&D 100 Awards’ Gold Medal as a Market Disruptor in 2019.

VaporID earned international acclaim after demonstrating contactless, real-time fentanyl detection at one of the nation’s busiest border crossings and at the largest conference for trace explosive detection in Ireland.