OptoSecurity in talks with major airport security integrators
Proprietary technology identifies dangerous objects at the speed of light; system easily integrated into existing X-ray scanners; postal service an emerging market
Human error, scientists know, is behind the vast majority of technical failures. A computer programmer mistypes a single word in a thousand lines of code; a harried driver presses down on the gas instead of the brake; the overconfident husband incorrectly installs the surround sound system and then returns the product as broken. It is man and not machine that is the problem.
Overcoming human frailty is the motivating force behind the growth of the automated target recognition industry. Although many airports are using automated surveillance to detect anamolous behvaior and alert security officials to physical security breaches, roll-out in the luggage screening sector has been slow. The main reason is that the technology typically relies on computer chips to compare visual images with a database of known objects. This is too slow and cumbersome for crowded airports, and until recently few companies had managed to overcome this technical hurdle. One that has is Quebec City, Quebec-based OptoSecurity, an exciting young company whose OptoScreener technology uses “optical threat detection correlation” to process image data at the speed of light.
Performance and operational friendliness are OptoScreener’s leading features. Not only is it extremely fast, it is also easily deployed alongside existing systems and requires no physical changes to checkpoint security infrastructure — two key features in today’s airport security market for those companies interested in attracting the attention of both the Transportation Safety Administration and larger airport security companies. According to Mark Scott of OptoScreener, the company’s business model is to team up with industry integrators and is currently in talks with all of the major companies in the field. In January five North American airports will begin testing the technology.
Keep in mind: Mark Scott tells us his company sees the postal market as a major source of future revenue.