The United States Customs and Border Protection is paying General Dynamics to prototype “quantum sensors” alongside an “artificial intelligence database” designed to “detect illegal substances and substances (such as fentanyl) in vehicles, containers, and other devices,” according to a contract agreement published in the federal register last week.
“This storage and sensing project will combine advanced quantum and classical sensing technologies with Artificial Intelligence and ultimately deliver proven concepts and end products anywhere in the CBP environment,” the statement read. “Under this requirement, CBP will take additional steps to improve its detection capabilities, and thus, significantly reduce the risk of illegal smuggling entering the United States of America, thereby strengthening national security.”
The text redacts the name of the company developing the prototype; however, contract information filed in the federal register reveals that the waiver is for a $2.4 million General Dynamics contract that has been open through December 2025.
CBP and General Dynamics did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment.
CBP’s request for a prototype “quantum sensor” with an AI database—which comes amid a widespread push within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to “support the adoption and measurement of AI technology,” according to a strategy memorandum published last year—covers a real and growing area of scientific and technological research.
Last week’s response did not go into detail about how its “quantum sensors” would use any information the AI database could store and analyze. However, it offers advice on how to get the agency to think about it.
The document states that CBP conducted market research from April to October of 2025. In July, CBP published a request for information seeking the seller of 35 handheld “Gemini” analyzers, sold by Thermo Fisher Scientific, designed to identify unknown chemicals and drugs.
DHS has also tested Gemini in previous years, according to reports published in 2021 and 2023. The July request—which notes that the devices will be used to identify substances such as fentanyl, ketamine, cocaine, methamphetamine, diazepam, and MDMA—does not mention artificial intelligence or databases.
“The detection equipment will be used by CBP officers in non-intrusive inspections to detect a variety of narcotics, controlled substances, unknown substances, and common biological substances,” the request reads, noting that the agency “continues to seize an increasing number of opioids at state borders.”
The July request for information says Gemini analysts use “Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR),” which measures how much infrared light a sample absorbs, and “Raman spectroscopy,” which measures how light scatters from the surface of a sample when a laser is directed at it.
The reasons for last week’s contract say the agency acquired a US company that makes a “portable analyzer” for identifying dangerous chemicals but said it “cannot detect fentanyl.” It’s not clear if this was referring to Gemini or one of the more than 10 other devices DHS tested in 2021 and 2023. But when reached for comment, Thermo Fisher Scientific said its Gemini analyzers were “designed to detect fentanyl.”
It is also unclear whether the General Dynamics prototype may use FTIR or Raman spectroscopy. But a 2024 working paper on a laboratory-based fentanyl-based testing method (unaffiliated with CBP, General Dynamics, or Thermo Fisher Scientific) notes that “handheld Raman spectrometers” and other portable devices—while simple, fast, and inexpensive—”can struggle with fentanyl-negative detection” and “may yield inaccurate results.”
Although it is still not clear what last week’s pardon was referring to when talking about “quantum” sensors, there are methods to detect fentanyl based on quantum chemistry. A 2024 paper, for example, describes how “quantum dots” and fluorescent dyes can be used to detect fentanyl and its 58 analogs.
