Northeastern's Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems and Canada's Bubble Technology Industries have successfully collaborated in developing a radiation-sensing device nicknamed the ASP. The "advanced spectroscopic portal" is a tollbooth-like device that can detect radiation at airports, seaports, or border crossings. The impetus for such a system came directly from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which was looking for a way to prevent the smuggling of dirty-bomb components into the United States.

Though Bubble Technology had technical resources for the project, the Gordon-CenSSIS Center brought its experience in navigating the standards and regulations of the government. CenSSIS assigned Philip Cheney, a four-decade Raytheon veteran who spent eleven years as the company's vice president of engineering, to oversee the bid. With the bid accepted and fast-tracked by DHS on a $28 million contract, the ASP is now in production at Raytheon.