Skeletal scans could be newest screening technique

of the most varied or individually distinctive bones in the body.

The skeletons of suspected terrorists who are taken into custody or sex offenders who are convicted would be scanned and the image features cataloged into a database. Custom computer software would enable newly scanned skeletal images taken of people are airports, stadiums or theme parks to be quickly compared with those in the database.

Researchers acknowledge that the system would only recognize people whose skeletons are already on file. “You build up your database from known offenders,” said Julie Skipper, Ph.D., associate research professor with WSRI. “And you look for these offenders to show up in the wrong place again.”

Ryan Fendley, the research institute’s director of operations and strategic initiatives, said scanners could be used wherever there is a controlled point of entry. “It could go anywhere,” he said. “It could be in every airport. You could put it in a hotel if it gets down to the right scale and cost.”

The scanners could even be used as security devices for the government or private companies, ensuring that only authorized workers could gain access to important facilities or rooms. “Right now we do that with badges,” Skipper said. “Badges can be lost or stolen or forged.”

Candidate sensors in the scanners require people to be within about six feet of the equipment. A scan would likely take about five seconds, and a match could be found within another ten seconds, Kidambi said. “That’s our biggest challenge — to accurately acquire bone signatures at a distance,” said Skipper, adding that federal officials would like to see accurate skeleton recognition from 50 meters.” “If we had that problem solved, we’d be in market right now.”

Unlike full-body airport scanners that see through clothing and expose personal body features, skeletal scanners would look beneath the skin’s surface.

Depending on the selected technology, a skeletal scan would only expose a person to radiation that is the approximate equivalent of taking one cross-country airline flight.

Basing the scanners on currently available bone density scanners could allow the technology to be deployed in the field within a year, Kidambi said.

Wright State has a couple of bone-density scanners that could be used to build a prototype. The scanners could be deployed in the field within a year, Kidambi said.

Fendley said a big challenge is compiling the body scans of suspects and building the database. “You can have a great tool that collects body scans of the general public, but if you don’t have anything to compare them to you haven’t done anything.”

A half dozen Wright State engineers and scientists are working on the research project, which began in October. Currently, investigators are trying to measure the subtle changes in particular bones in order to identify the features that discriminate individuals. The geometric, structural and densitometric patterns of the bones of the hand are being identified and then compared with images of the same hand taken years before.

Wright State submitted its idea to the Intelligence Advanced Research Project Activity, a U.S. research agency formed to meet important technical challenges faced by the intelligence community. Of the 500 research teams that submitted proposals, Wright State was among the dozen invited to discuss their ideas at an IARPA conference in Washington D.C.

“It was quickly determined that our approach was by far the most novel,” Fendley said. “If you look at the other participants at that conference, several have expressed interest in partnering with us.”