MLtwist Awarded $590K Contract for Multi-Modal Labeling

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has awarded MLtwist a $590K contract for the labeling and processing of multimodal AI data.

The contract comes after completion of a successful aviation security pilot program in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories in May 2024. Sandia used MLtwist’s technology to set up a reusable no-code AI data pipeline for labeling 3D DICOS body scans, which provide essential training for developing new object detection security algorithms. The MLtwist-powered pipeline cut Sandia’s data processing time by 60% from eight to three weeks.

“New AI capabilities applied to data processing, working in conjunction with human intelligence, deliver higher data quality with faster turnaround times,” said David Smith, founder and CEO of MLtwist. “Thanks to the TSA’s Open Architecture initiative, which also supports the development of AI for software and hardware, we are excited to be one of the many pieces involved in the future of aviation security.”

The Open Architecture initiative’s design-based development approach focuses on standards-based, interoperable software and hardware, which allows a wide range of industry partners to develop improved sub-components like detection algorithms, user interfaces, or reporting systems. The Digital Imaging and Communications in Security (DICOS) standard allows any security X-ray images and their associated data to be transmitted on a common network, stored in a DICOS-compliant medium, and viewed on any DICOS-compliant workstation or device.

The TSA will use the new data processed by MLtwist for the advanced development and implementation of new threat detection models. This data will be delivered through a robust and reusable framework, which leverages commercial off-the-shelf technology, and automates data cleaning, transformation, labeling, and packaging. MLtwist ingests the DICOS scans and preprocesses, transforms, and then delivers the resulting labeled data as a JSON or DICOS package. The process takes place in a secure environment, with data versioning and tracking provided at every step. 

“Our decision to select MLtwist came after a rigorous selection process from our broad agency announcement,” said James Lambeth, Capabilities Development Lead at the TSA. “High quality data is crucial to ensuring our models perform to the highest standards.”