Will Body Scanners Be The Ultimate In Safety?

While body scanners will solve the problems of security and passenger convenience, the idea requires the right permutation and combination to be considered an exemplary example of artificial intelligence.

- Mohan Kakde

The typical air traveler has conflicting feelings about security. According to a representative survey, most passengers favour the extensive use of security technology, including body scanners, at airports. At the same time, they are annoyed about a variety of inconveniences, ranging from the restrictions on carry-on luggage and having to take off various items of clothing at the security checks, to the unnatural posture required by conventional body scanners and the pat-downs by security officers. And these are only compounded by the long waits at security checkpoints. Because it is unlikely that security standards will be relaxed any time soon, it is up to technology to find answers to this dilemma in the face of even tighter security. The goal is to maintain the highest level of security while preserving the greatest degree of convenience possible for passengers.

The first body scanners were developed in the early 1990s, even before an appreciable market for them existed. These backscatter devices operating in the X-ray range were seldom used at airports. These were followed several years later by devices operating in the microwave range, even though demand remained limited. After the dramatic events of 9/11, the perception of threat changed and there was a need for counter solutions.