This security scanner will spare your blushes
Posted: Monday, April 21, 2008 2:49 PM
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On Assignment
By Michele Neubert, NBC News Producer
STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Ever had the desire to wear X-ray specs?
Well, maybe that’s why the ThruVision, a new security scanner that looks through clothing and can detect weapons from up to 25 yards away, was all the rage at a recent international counterterrorism conference in Stockholm, Sweden.
But instead of the usual X-rays, the machine uses non-invasive "terahertz" technology, as I learned from Mikael Karlstrom, the machine’s designer.
And for those hoping to see everything, it’s a disappointment.
"It’s completely passive, which means it doesn’t radiate anyone or anything," Karlstrom said. As opposed to current security systems that send rays toward the object or person being scanned, this system detects items by receiving energy from terahertz rays – low level electromagnetic waves which all people and objects emit naturally.
Terahertz radiation can pass through a wide variety of materials – like clothing, paper, or wood – but it cannot penetrate metal or water. As with a regular security scanner, other objects give off a different frequency and thus can be seen on the scanner’s screen.
"The effect on the passenger being screened is the same as taking a photo without a flash," said Karlstrom. "It doesn’t invade your privacy because we don’t show your anatomy, your naked bits at all – just the objects hidden on your body."
As I watched, the scanning screen showed human silhouettes outlined in a vague outline, but hidden objects on the body were detected as darker images.
Karlstrom explained that the new scanner allows authorities to do both overt and covert surveillance because the machines can operate from a distance.
"With this new device you are able to pinpoint a person 10, 15, 20 [yards] away and discern if they have as explosive device on them," he said. "So you can either tell people that they are being surveyed, or we can do it covertly and not say anything."
The machines cost around $200,000 and, according to Karlstrom, they are selling well in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
"I think it’s a much needed complement to the security systems that are in place," said Makram Bichara, another delegate at the conference.
"According to tests done in the U.S. by the Transport and Security Agency, agents were able to carry weapons through full functioning security checks without being detected," Bichara continued. "So I'd welcome anything that can improve on that."
