This device is being considered as a universal agent sensor. It can detect chemical, nuclear and explosive material as well as cover the range of biological agents. It also can provide additional information such as whether an organism is micro-encapsulated or includes growth media, which largely is not detectable by other systems. Early funding for the miniaturization program was provided by the Central Intelligence Agency's Non-Proliferation Center. Accelerated instrument development currently is funded by the Counter-Proliferation Support Program.
Speed is one asset the mass spectrometer brings to the battlefield.
Donlon warrants that the unit can identify a pathogen within one minute. Another asset is its versatility in detecting a broad spectrum of agents. The device does not operate continuously. Within 30 seconds, the unknown biological agent is fed into the vacuum chamber, where it is treated with a laser pulse for analysis. This cuts down power requirements and increases longevity.