In a test undertaken with developer Integrated Defense & Security Solutions (IDSS) at the Cape Cod Gateway Airport of Massachusetts, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently showed off the potential of remote screening infrastructure.
Meant to enhance airport security checkpoints, this technology proved capable of sending computer tomography (CT) X-ray images of carry-on baggage to remote locations in near real-time. From there, an available Transportation Security Officer (TSO) is able to analyze the images, be they on or off-site. If successfully optimized, it could therefore allow the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to improve its workflow by directing images to those best suited.
“Remote screening would provide TSA the capability to engage expert assets in analyzing images of carry-on baggage and adjudicating alarms even if they are in different locations, promoting more effective and efficient screening and reducing screening times,” Dr. John Fortune, S&T’s Screening at Speed program manager, said. “The technology will also enable future concepts of operations, such as checkpoint automation, which is a priority for TSA, and allow passengers a more seamless and expeditious screening experience.”
The demonstration was an extension of S&T’s Screening at Speed program, a research and development effort to improve aviation security effectiveness while simultaneously reducing wait times for passengers. IDSS won a $500,000 award from the program to develop its remote screening capability, and S&T appears satisfied by its efforts.