Year
2025
Abstract
In this work, we present a conceptual design and ongoing progress toward developing tamper-indicating devices (TIDs). These TIDs are meant to permanently record proof that an unauthorized party has gained access to the article, and to maintain the continuity of knowledge (CoK) for nuclear material assets stored in metal containers. Containers of this type are often sealed with adhesive tags or cable seals to deter tampering, but existing methods rely on manual inventory control and visual inspection to detect unauthorized access. To address these limitations, we are leveraging industry standards and commercially available technologies to create solutions for serialization and CoK management. Our approach incorporates radio frequency identification (RFID) and its adaptations to enable fast, non- line-of-sight scanning of multiple items, utilizing the GS1 EPC Tag Data Standard to ensure globally standardized data formats and interoperability. This enhances inventory management by reducing human error, improving real-time tracking, and seamlessly connecting physical assets with their databases. Additionally, these advancements minimize workers’ radiation exposure by reducing the need for manual inspections and enable advanced multi-attribute sensing to improve the performance and reliability of tamper-indicating devices. We will present the conceptual design of TIDs that are scalable, enabling mass production once the prototype is approved; unique, with intrinsic variability to guarantee authenticity; and interrogable, allowing property verification using benchtop instruments or interrogation techniques. We will show how the concepts of physical unclonable functions are being applied to the prototype. Finally, we will share our progress toward in-house manufacturing of these devices.