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February 26, 2007
SmartCheck Airport X-Ray Machines
From NYTimes:
A new x-ray body scanning machine is being tested at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It is a millimeter wave machine and is able to provide a "virtual strip search" for airport security.
The machine beams a low-energy X-ray at the passenger, which after it bounces off the surface of the skin is processed by computer software that highlights metals or elements like nitrogen that are found in explosives or weapons. The X-ray is not strong enough to penetrate much beyond the skin, so it cannot find weapons that may be hidden in body cavities.
The interesting part for me is the privacy software that "intentionally blurs the image, creating an outline of a body that is clear enough to see a collarbone, bellybutton or weapon, but flattens details of revealing contours." Its nice to see a smart sensor/camera system that considers privacy. This is an improvement over earlier systems that have been discussed here and here.
Posted by rshah at February 26, 2007 08:10 PM
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