New airport scanner could make security a breeze

Imagine airport security was nothing but walking past a stretch of wall. There could be no pat-downs, no x-ray machines, no metal detectors. This could be a travelling reality with new “Alfa3” technology.

A new type of body scanner could be hitting airports near you, changing the way we look at airport security. Alfa3 is based on existing “millimetre wave imaging” technology which is used in hundreds of scanners in airports all over the world. Unlike those scanners, with the Alfa3 you don’t have to enter any chamber, it’s able to scan you as you walk by.

“It’s like thermal imaging,” according to Dr. Naomi Alexander, the physicist who invented it. “We see the difference in temperature between the body and objects that aren’t part of the body.”

Alfa3 also uses technology to detect objects underneath clothing without revealing any anatomical details, something lots of passengers have been up in arms with the latest body scanners. A higher resolution promises greater accuracy and automatic threat detection. For now, the idea is being marketed to airports and who knows, we could see Alfa3’s in London anytime soon!