Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced software enhancements to its Thermo Scientific FirstDefender RM and FirstDefender RMX handheld Raman chemical identification instruments. The software enhancements allow for faster results, detection of chemicals at lower concentrations and a first ever Tagging feature that enables users to prioritize and tag individual chemicals of interest.
Thermo Fisher designed these new features to allow first responders, homeland security, military, law enforcement and forensic chemistry personnel to quickly identify chemicals in the field, such as explosives, industrial chemicals, chemical warfare agents, and precursors.
The FirstDefender® RM/RMX v4.0 software includes updated chemical identification algorithms that are designed to accelerate complex mixture analysis. Chemical analysis is enhanced for tagged items, leading to detection capability at lower concentrations. On-screen visual notification highlights the presence of a tagged item for escalation as defined by a commanding officer. In addition to updated matching algorithms and the new tagging feature, the FirstDefender RM/RMX v4.0 software update includes an expanded on-board library.
“We’re constantly improving our instruments to ensure that our users have the most advanced capabilities possible,” said Maura Fitzpatrick, senior director, safety and security, Thermo Fisher portable analytical instruments business. “The performance enhancements in this release are testament to this commitment. Further, this release allows users to leverage their experience by incorporating situational awareness to improve analysis results. This is unprecedented.”
