Thermo Fisher Scientific
Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced the latest software
and library updates for FirstDefender®, the award-winning, field-proven
handheld Raman instrument for identification of solid and liquid chemicals.
The FirstDefender v2.7 software update includes a larger substance library,
multiple language configurations and an enhanced user interface.
FirstDefender is a lightweight, rugged Raman instrument used for rapid identification
of unknown solids and liquids, including narcotics, toxic industrial materials
(TIMs), explosives and white powders. With this latest release, the company
expands the product’s chemical library to more than 10,000 pure substances,
which includes updates in all chemical categories and support for millions of
mixture possibilities.
As with all Thermo Scientific instruments formerly sold under the Ahura Scientific
brand, the FirstDefender library is specifically developed and optimized for
the product’s sophisticated software algorithms. By managing library development
internally and adding only the highest-quality spectra, the instrument enables
accurate material identification with automatic mixture analysis, reducing reliance
on spectral subtraction and subjective evaluation.
FirstDefender v2.7 also includes updates to the full language configurations
for German, French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. This capability continues
to open the door to greater instrument adoption in vital regions around the
globe. Among user interface enhancements, FirstDefender v2.7 automatically displays
a molecular signal meter during scans, providing additional real-time information
critical to helping first responders obtain fast, accurate results.
“First responders, hazmat teams, military organizations and law enforcement
personnel rely on FirstDefender to rapidly and accurately analyze threats in
the field,” said Doug Kahn, vice president and general manager of Thermo
Scientific’s portable optical analysis business. “This software
update is part of our commitment to ensuring our customers around the globe
have access to the latest technology to identify emerging chemical threats.”
In addition to continuing support for the flagship FirstDefender, the company
recently announced its next-generation Raman instruments, FirstDefender RM and
FirstDefender RMX. All products in the FirstDefender family include advanced
chemometrics, automatic mixture analysis and MIL-STD 810F certification for
ruggedness.
The FirstDefender v2.7 software package is now available to all former Ahura
Scientific customers with active support contracts, which include software and
library updates, hardware warranty and 24/7 customer support by the company’s
technical team.