Background

Most weapon detection systems range in price between $\$500$ and $\$ 5000$ depending on features. The end user of the system expects to treat it like any other embedded system, where power cycling is a routine activity and the unit is turned off at the end of the day by pulling the plug. As a result, systems need to use journaling filesystems or similar.

Battery powered systems need to run for a full working day, so the choice of a power efficient processor (such as PowerPC and StrongARM) is appropriate for such applications. Few operating systems are both portable and scalable.

In contrast, some situations require high reliability for 24/7 use. Windows NT and 2000, the Microsoft releases recommended for such applications, require considerable processor power, memory and disk space just to run their own infrastructure. The cost of those resources is significant compared to the total bill of materials cost of an installed weapon detection system. We failed to find technical benefits to justify that expense.