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The world’s first explosive-detecting departure gate has been unveiled.
Plane passengers could soon be scanned for bombs as they swipe their boarding pass thanks to the new machine, which blows a short puff of air at a passenger’s hand as they scan their pass.
“It then sucks in that air – along with all the minute particles that have been blown off the hand – and instantly analyses whether there are any explosive substances present,” said senior chief researcher Minoru Sakairi.
All that takes about one to two seconds, short enough to keep people moving through the gate and onto the plane, he said.
“This allows screening of all passengers and can make air travel safer,” Mr Sakairi added.
Hitachi, the company behind the device, plans further experiments at airports and train stations before deciding whether to commercialise the prototype.
The technology can also be used for gates at train stations and concerts, government buildings and sporting venues such as Olympic stadiums, Hitachi claims.
The gate is most effective in finding those who may have hidden non-metal-based bombs on their bodies, like the man who concealed plastic explosives in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit in 2009.
“Since the Detroit incident, searches on individuals have become more stringent to pick up people who may carry explosives on them,” Mr Sakairi said.
“This new boarding gate should serve as an important tool to scan particles on all passengers.”
However, the company acknowledged that the machine also picks up people who legally work with chemicals with explosive characteristics, such as farmers using fertilisers and angina patients who take nitroglycerin.
Hitachi teamed up with the Nippon Signal Co and the University of Yamanashi to develop the project with a 290 million yen (BD1.5 million) grant from the government.
