Scanning People with Their Shoes On

“Adding the shoe scanner in an airport setting could replace the inconvenient pre-boarding ritual of removing shoes at the checkpoint and potentially speed up the screening process by 15-20 percent,” said Liberty CEO Bill Frain. “Streamlining security processes, while still detecting threats and keeping people safe, is a win-win proposition.”

Keeping Safe with Your Shoes and Jackets on
Based on the national need researchers saw for a shoe scanner, PNNL began development using internal R&D funds. DHS funded additional development of the technology through the Science and Technology Directorate’s Screening at Speed program, while also supporting development of a new generation of millimeter wave body scanners that can provide higher resolution images at much lower cost. The original scanner design, previously developed by PNNL, has been widely used for about 15 years as a valuable screening tool at Transportation Security Agency airport checkpoints in the U.S. and abroad.

“The updated HD-Advanced Imaging Technology scanner offers much higher resolution,” said Dave Sheen, who manages the millimeter-wave technology program at PNNL. “Testing shows that the increased resolution improves potential threat detection, while dramatically reducing false alarms compared to the first-generation technology. Reducing false alarms and the secondary screenings they trigger means less direct contact between travelers and security personnel.”

The new system design includes improved antennas and significantly reduces imaging irregularities. With this advancement, airline passengers or people attending large public events may be scanned while wearing light sweaters or jackets, instead of having to take them off before walking through the scanner portal. 

Advanced Scanning for Enhanced Security Operations
HD body scanners were designed to meet changing performance requirements and identify potential evolving threats, such as weapons, explosives and illicit drugs.

The HD Advanced Imaging Technology system will be able to incorporate the latest threat detection algorithms that may be developed by third parties. Its open architecture will provide operators the flexibility to select and use best-in-class threat detection algorithms instead of being limited to one specific type.

“Liberty Defense envisions building upon and enhancing the capabilities already achieved on the HD-AIT, with the intent to commercialize and manufacture the platform,” said Frain. “The goal is to seamlessly upgrade current systems at airports while preserving the existing footprint.” Frain added that the shoe scanner may be integrated into the base of the next generation HD-AIT. “We see options in various venues for separate scanners or a combined version,” he said.

Dave Atkinson, who manages PNNL’s research on aviation and explosives for DHS, sums up the teamwork that led to the licensing of the new shoe scanner technology and the next-generation HD scanner. “This is a prime example of how federal funding, combined with scientific and technical expertise at a national laboratory, and private industry investment can mature technical inventions and make them available to solve national challenges, create new jobs and increase U.S. competitiveness.”