Checkpoint Ancillaries
Complementary / Niche their original bags. To evaluate the
Technologies “elipsis.the TSA technologies, the regulators have grouped
In terms of the largest impact on (and the various systems into four categories in
annoyance to) the travelling public, shoe determined that order of operational desirability:
removal requirements and liquids
inspections are, most likely, top of the list, QR’s performance Category A – open bottle inspection,
with laptop removal a close third. Several which will be used as a baseline only
devices to mitigate the operational impact was too limited to
have been undergoing trials and initial Category B – single bottle inspection,
deployments over the past year. warrant broad loosened lid – aimed at trace technology
Shoe Scanning deploymentelipsis” Category C – multiple closed bottles,
Techniques for scanning shoes, without either organised and distributed in trays
necessitating their removal, have been to avoid overlap or randomly loaded
sought and explored ever since Richard without regard to configuration or
Reid hid a combination of homemade Preferred Passenger screening overlap
TATP and PETN-based detonating cord programme approved by the TSA, but is
in his sneakers and attempted to not used at the TSA checkpoint itself. The Category D – bottles randomly located
destroy American Airlines 63 in 2001. cost of QR is fairly high due to the need to inside the bag (i.e. as it was prior to the
In response, two companies, GE compensate for radio interference. 311 regulations)
Security and QR Sciences developed Other companies, including CEIA and
prototypes that used a radio-frequency IDO Security have adapted metal Currently, technical teams under the
technique called Quadrupole detection techniques for shoe scanning, auspices of ECAC (European Civil Aviation
Resonance (QR), that was under though such techniques would not have Conference) are trialling several
development at the time for plastic found the Richard Reid device, which was technologies in each category to
landmine detection. After a series of carefully designed to avoid any metallic understand likely false alarm and
initial TSA trials, the TSA determined objects that might otherwise trigger detection rates. Based on these initial
that QR’s performance was too limited metal detectors. L3 Communications has results, the European regulators will
to warrant broad deployment, even developed a trace-based shoe scanner, define detection standards for evaluating
though the systems should be able to currently under TSA evaluation, that has systems in subsequent qualification tests
find one of the constituents used by a potentially lower price tag and finds a and will use operational data combined
Reid in small quantities. broader set of materials than QR. But,
The GE system has seen limited trace is likely to have material sampling
deployment as part of the CLEAR challenges that have been well
established in other applications, “elipsisCastScope’s novel
especially where no direct contact is
made with the IED exterior. application of X-ray
TSA continues to evaluate several
different shoe scanners but has yet to backscatter technology
reach a conclusion on their effective -
ness or desirability. Until regulators was strongly supported
provide a clearer indication of interest,
other companies with potentially by several US veterans
applicable technologies are waiting on
the sidelines, even though airports and disability groups who
urgently need a solution.
objected to the impact of
Liquids Scanning
Europe is part-way through a thorough current, highly invasive
assessment of various liquids scanning
technologies, aimed at eliminating the methods of screening
so-called 311 rule, which has been so
restrictive on – and unpopular with – that subjected
passengers since the foiled August 2006
attempts to destroy multiple aircraft disadvantaged
departing from the UK. Led by the Britain,
the focus is to assess alternatives and lift passengers to additional
the liquids ban by mid-2010, though
most likely passengers will still need to humiliation at the
divest liquids to a separate bag or tray
GE’s Shoe Scanner rather than allowing bottles to remain in checkpointelipsis”
Aviationsecurityinternational February 2009 www.asi-mag.com 31
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