Highly Sensitive Camera will Identify Explosives at Airports

Highly Sensitive Camera will Identify Explosives at Airports

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A new technology that claims to be able to identify weapons hidden under people’s clothing as they walk through checkpoints, is currently under trial at a handful of international airports. It  is being used to provide an additional layer of security against landside attacks.

The new technology, ThruVis, developed by UK based security technology company Digital Barriers, utilises a highly sensitive camera capable of detecting hidden objects such as weapons, explosives and drugs.

Its creators envisage two main ways of deploying Thruvis at airports – at entrances to terminal buildings to identify threats before passengers reach the traditional security checks and as a secondary check of airport staff when they pass in and out of secure areas, according to airportworld.com.

Digital Barrier’s chief executive, Zak Doffman, says: “Our highly sensitive camera solution can be covertly deployed at airport entrances to spot items concealed under a person’s clothing before they reach baggage points and security chokepoints.

“Once deployed, it will spot hidden explosives and liquids, with recent tests having a 100% success rate in identifying anyone carrying a hidden weapon or suicide vest. The solution does not replace an airport’s existing security infrastructure; rather it acts as an additional protection that can extend the airport’s secure zone as far as the terminal entrance.”

ThruVis works on the TeraHertz frequency, meaning that unlike X-rays it has no harmful effects to the human body and does not reveal anatomical details.

The technology is currently being trialled at transport terminals in the US and the UK and is already in use in the Middle East and Asia.