Body imaging set to become standard security check

Airport news for Flights,Travel on 04/01/2010.

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There has been a lot of controversy over recent months about the body scanning equipment that is due to be employed in airports in the next few months. After articles appeared in the press showing photographs of the images projected by the equipment, many people objected as they said the images would make them look naked.

However, a new type of full body scanner has been introduced which, it is said, will not compromise passengers’ privacy. The new invention is already being used in limited numbers in a number of countries in limited numbers, including the United States, and so far the trials have proven to be successful.

The new piece of equipment is known as the Passive Millimeter Wave Whole Body Imaging System and has been developed by Brijot Imaging Systems Inc. In light of the news that the equipment is ready for use, Dutch officials have announced that they will institute compulsory full-body scans at all airports in The Netherlands, regardless of privacy concerns over the equipment.

Dutch airports are especially keen to step up their security after an incident that occurred on Christmas Day. On this day a Nigerian on board an Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight tried to blow up the plane, and officials realized that their security checks simply were not tight enough.

Mitchel J. Laskey is the president and chief executive officer of Brijot. In a recent interview he announced that: "The events of this past weekend clearly demonstrate the need for improved people screening capabilities at airports and other mass transit locations…There is a clear need for another layer of screening technologies, one that effectively detects non-metal objects. The only checkpoint system globally available today that accurately finds objects hidden under clothing while preserving privacy and with no safety concerns is Brijot's passive millimeter system."

So whether they feel uncomfortable with the new body scans or not, it seems that air passengers may soon be forced to grin and bare it if they want to be allowed to take to the skies.

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