IF you fly frequently, you’d have grown to dread the strict airport security measures that you have to endure, especially if you have an international flight. Typically you should arrive as early as two hours before departure time just to be safe. Even if you’ve already done web check in, you’ll have to queue up to get past the security check where you’re asked to not only scan your carry-on luggage but to empty your pockets and remove your wallet, phone and
any other devices you have on you.
If you have a laptop you’ll have to take out the laptop from your backpack for scanning. Usually, you’ll also have to remove your belt and sometimes even your shoes. If you have a bottle of contact lens solution or perfume, you’ll be asked to give that up for fear that it might actually contain liquid that can be used for explosives.
It wasn’t always this cumbersome to get on a plane but everything changed after the tragic events of 9/11. Overnight, airports around the world started becoming considerably stricter when it came to security checks for fear of terrorism or hostage-taking threats.
Most people put up with this because they know it makes their flights that much safer. That doesn’t mean they don’t wish there could be some other ways to allow them to move quickly and efficiently through security.
The reason for the slowness of it all is that airport technology has been pretty much the same since the 1980s. But that will soon change as airports around the world are now looking for ways to make life easier for passengers.
FACIAL AND IRIS RECOGNITION
Facial recognition is something that’s already in development, with the US Department of Homeland Security conducting trials using this technology to automate the identification and boarding pass verification process. After a passenger scans their boarding pass and passport, a camera takes their photo to verify that the name on the boarding pass and the photo taken match what’s in the passport.
Somewhat related to facial recognition is iris recognition. Everybody’s iris signature is different so this is probably an even more accurate approach for secure identification than facial recognition. Tascent, a company that makes iris-recognition machines, says its technology can, with 99 per centaccuracy, identify passengers via iris scans within a span of just two seconds.
Perhaps a combination of facial and iris recognition working in tandem will allow airports to one day finally do away with the need for physical boarding passes or even passports. Everything can be digital and verified via seamless facial and iris scans.
BEHAVIOURAL ANALYSIS
Behavioural analysis requires profiling and understandably generates some privacy and social concerns. But the reality is that detecting behavioural abnormalities is an effective way to bolster airport security.
AVATAR (Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real Time) is an interactive screening technology that can pick out passengers who display suspicious behaviour.
This sounds like science fiction but AVATAR is actually a robotic kiosk that can analyse changes in eyes, voice, gestures and posture to determine risk factors.
AVATAR is currently being tested by the Canadian Border Services Agency and the US Department of Homeland Security.
Imagine how effective this technology can be when it can take the form of mobile robots that can move around the airport (currently it takes the form of stationary kiosks).
CT SCANS
One of the most impactful tools for airport security screening is a technology that’s already quite mature: computed tomography (CT) scanning. This is the technology used for scans in hospitals.
The advantage of CT scanners is that passengers don’t need to remove their laptops or get rid of liquids because their detection capability far exceeds that of X-ray. The 3D images generated can be rotated for a more thorough analysis and the devices can be programmed with algorithms to detect dangerous items like explosives within electronic devices or liquids.
Right now, using X-ray technology, security officers need to personally inspect the image of every item that goes through the machine. CT scanners can be designed to automatically alert the officers whenever a potential dangerous item is detected. So they will not only ease congestion but also allow airports to save on personnel costs.
Some airports are already using CT scanners but for larger bags that are checked in. They’re not typically used for smaller, carry-on bags which are the bottlenecks that lead to long queues at airports.
Many a passenger has missed their flights because of unexpected delays at such checkpoints.
More compact versions of CT scanners are being developed for airports and it’s just a matter of time when these are rolled out in airports around the world. When these compact versions are commonly used for carry-on bag inspection, it will ease congestion considerably. Such technology is especially relevant in this age of budget travel where thrifty passengers prefer to carry as much as possible in the form of carry-on bags to avoid paying for checkedin luggage.
The potential for CT technology is farreaching. If you look further down the road, you can envision a time when there won’t even be a need for people to put their carryon bags on a conveyer belt for scanning.
Instead, they’d go through a kind of CT walkway which can scan them as they head towards their departure gates. When that day comes, we’re really looking at seamless security but this is not science fiction. These are all ideas that are already in the works.
SEAMLESS SECURITY IS NOT FAR AWAY
Airport security and the hassle that comes with it is something that we all have to put up with in order to ensure our safety when we travel. Implementation of technologies like facial and iris recognition, behavioural analysis and CT scanning will one day allow for seamless airport security where passengers can go from entrance at the airport to their assigned seat on the plane without having to remove their bags or even show a boarding pass or passport.
Oon Yeoh is a consultant with experiences in print, online and mobile media. reach him at oonyeoh@gmail.com