TSA is testing new 3D rotating scanning technology to see through your baggage and ‘digital dog noses’ to detect explosives at airport security in an effort to speed up lines
- Researchers are help the TSA combat long check-in lines
- Experts designed a series of technology they are calling ‘Innovation Checkpoint’
- A ‘digital nose’ can look through suitcases, so no items need to be removed
- There is a gel that can be used to cover a bomb so it can be safely removed
With nearly 27 million people set to travel on a plane this holiday season, the Transportation Security Administration warned flyers to expect long lines at check-in.
However, researchers are testing new technology it is calling ‘Innovation Checkpoint’ to deal with complaints over electronics, liquids and taking off their shoes.
The process would use a sensor on a drone to detect homemade bombs, a gel that surrounds an explosive so it can safely be removed and scanners capable of investigating items in a suitcase, so nothing needs to be removed.
Jose Bonilla, the director of TSA’s Innovation Task Force told CBSNews: ‘This is a glimpse into the future of what aviation security is going to look like.’
‘What we’re trying to do is, how do we make that a more seamless process for the traveling public, but not giving upon security
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island is working on ways to make it easier for both the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and travelers this year.
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The scanners display a generic male or female form and flag an area of the body where there may be a concern and it is better at spotting non-metallic threats that a metal detector might miss
These scientists have partnered with the Department of Homeland Security in the design of a sensory called a ‘digital dog nose’, which will be paired with a drone and is said to detect explosives better than a bomb-sniffing dog.
The sensory is still in the early development stages, but will be the size of a smartphone once it is completed.
The team has also designed a gel they called ‘Schmoo’, which the TSA can place around explosives or hazardous chemicals to safely remove them from the airport.
And the final piece of this series includes a new way to scan suitcases, without travelers having to remove any items.
Researchers are testing new technology it is calling ‘Innovation Checkpoint’ to deal with complaints over electronics, liquids and taking off their shoes.
The technology includes a scanner that can look through clutter in a suitcase so travelers do not need to take anything out of their bags
When flyers move towards the checkpoint, they will be met with a few message boards.
They then scan their license in the new ID readers to validate their identify and confirm their itinerary – without the need of showing a boarding pass.
From there, carry-on bags go to a CT scanner, which electronics can stay in, and eventually the goal is liquids will, too.
The new scanners can more easily see through all the clutter in bags.
These scientists have partnered with the Department of Homeland Security in the design of a sensory called a ‘digital dog nose’, which will be paired with a drone and is said to detect explosives better than a bomb-sniffing dog
The team has also designed a gel they called ‘Schmoo’, which the TSA can place around explosives or hazardous chemicals to safely remove them from the airport
The scanners display a generic male or female form and flag an area of the body where there may be a concern and it is better at spotting non-metallic threats that a metal detector might miss.
The technology is currently being tested at an airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, but the TSA hopes to roll it out to the entire country by 2022.
The organization is also looking to expand its use of facial recognition sometime next year.
