ARGUS Low-Cost Fiber Electric Seal

In 1994, Aquila Technologies Group, Inc., and Hi-G-Tek, Ltd.; an Israeli Company, were awarded a matching grant of approximately $850,000 to develop inexpensive seal technology. The work will be completed this year and has resulted in the development of an inexpensive active seal called the ARGUS Fiber-Electric Seal. The seal is based on a custom integrated circuit that can be used in a variety of sealing and asset tracking applications. The seal may be interrogated through a physical wire connection or via RF. This paper discusses the ARGUS seal, providing an overview of the evolutionary development, discusses the technology behind the seal, and presents a breakdown of economic drivers in the manufacture and use of the seal.