Vol. 19 •Issue 26 • Page 12
December 11, 2006
Advance News Magazines
by Mark McGraw
The requirements to maintain security at airports, aboard airliners, inside government buildings and other likely targets change daily, as terrorist organizations continue to pose new threats.
The attacks that unfolded on September 11, 2001, represent the most obvious, large-scale example of the sophisticated levels terrorist organizations are now operating on. But, other recent events—the 2001 arrest of Richard Reid aboard a transatlantic flight after he tried to ignite an explosive device hidden in his shoe; an alleged plot in London in August to bomb United States-bound planes with liquid explosives, for example—have added new dimensions to the multi-pronged terrorist threat, and led to even tighter security measures at U.S. airports.
Would-be attacks such as the aforementioned underscore the need for more complex airport screening systems that can detect even small amounts of hidden explosives.
Standard X-ray machines have been present at airport security checkpoints for more than 30 years. New technologies are emerging, however, that may change the screening process, and radiology is playing an increasingly prominent role in the fight against terrorism.
Innovations on the way
The traditional X-ray machines in use at U.S. airports have been criticized by the Department of Homeland Security for their inability to provide accurate images of explosives, guns and knives. Many current X-ray machines only create one "flat" image, in which a knife may simply look like a pen, for instance.
But, technology on the horizon may provide more complete images and expedite the screening process at U.S. airports.
According to an article from the Oct. 18, 2006, issue of USA Today, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) may begin to screen carry-on bags with new three-dimensional X-ray machines that are designed to better identify liquid explosives, guns and other weapons.
In the wake of this summer's threat in London, the TSA has limited the volume of liquids passengers are allowed to carry on planes. The new X-ray machines would improve security and could ultimately ease the liquid restrictions, said aviation consultant Richard Roth in the USA Today piece.
The multi-view machines being considered by the TSA scan from different angles, giving screeners more detailed images, and are currently being used at European airports as well as other buildings.
The TSA will continue to evaluate the machines in coming months, according to USA Today.
Some other technologies are emerging that may also play a key role in making U.S. airports safer and more hassle-free for the average traveler.
Billerica, Mass.-based American Science and Engineering Inc. is expected to soon start piloting its SmartCheck backscatter personnel screening systems at U.S. airports. The images the system creates are similar to an outline of a traced hand. If a threat is detected, the privacy-filtered image identifies the shape and location of any threats, but it will not show revealing images of the body.
Gamma Medica-Ideas recently reached an agreement to supply detector modules to a U.S.-based manufacturer of baggage screening systems. The Northridge, Calif.-based designer, developer and manufacturer of imaging systems used in diagnostic medicine and medical research has previously supplied the manufacturer with prototype detector modules that were tested in a baggage screening system being developed by the manufacturer. The successful procedure involved screening thousands of pieces of luggage at U.S. airports, and resulted in the manufacturer placing an order for modules to be installed in five more screening systems.
In an e-mail interview for this story, Bradley E. Pah, PhD, GM-I president and chief executive officer, explained conventional X-ray detectors "utilize a two-step process to convert X-rays into electrical signals that can be used to generate an image." In the GM-I detector, he said, the conversion of X-rays into electrical signals happens in just one step, which makes the screening process "significantly more efficient." But, more importantly, he added, the detector modules will greatly increase the probability of detecting explosives directly.
Holes in the process?
Considering the sheer number of individuals that pass through airports on any given day, the threat of a terrorist attack is always looming. Some experts, while noting the obvious progress reflected in recent technology, maintain there are still advancements that need to be made.
Eric Bailey, president and co-founder of NeuroLogica, a Danvers, Mass.-based medical imaging company, led the development of the first multi-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner designed for explosives detection. The scanner, which he helped develop in 1996 while vice president of computed tomography engineering at Analogic Corp., is now in use at major airports throughout the United States.
Bailey recognizes the need to stay ahead of terrorists at security checkpoints.
But the shortfall of many current systems, he said, is that—much like a 2D medical system that may not see a tumor hiding behind a skull—it may not detect a thin explosive hidden inside a laptop. He urges the increased use of CT at airport checkpoints to spot potential problems faster and more accurately.
"Present CT technology is so valuable to security, in that it has automatic detection and 3D display of suspicious objects, which helps the non-radiologist screeners make fast and accurate decisions on whether to perform hand searches of bags."
The government, specifically the TSA, needs to deploy such technology for carry-on and cargo, he added. "These are two major 'holes' in the security process."
On the borders and beyond
The terrorist threat doesn't end at the airport, however, and more than X-ray machines are necessary to sniff out possible attacks.
Port security, for example, poses one of America's biggest security challenges, and increasingly innovative thinking is required to secure the country's borders.
Burtek Inc. has supplied the Department of Homeland Security with a device that may prove to enhance port security.
The device, known as a mobile radiation portal monitor, is a self-contained, mobile platform that operates independently of permanent infrastructure at a port. The truck-mounted radiation detectors detect attempted smuggling of nuclear devices or 'dirty bombs' into the United States.
According to Burtek Inc., the vehicle is designed to scan cargo containers on the ground or on trucks. Sensors measure key parameters such as speed of the vehicle, distance from the item being scanned and emitted radiation. On-board computers analyze, display and record information within easy reach of the vehicle operator and facilitate communication with the base of operations.
In April, it was announced that the DHS signed a $20 million contract with the defense contractor to provide 200 of the detectors. The first of the trucks was deployed at the Port of New York/New Jersey in early May, and additional devices are slated to appear at ports across the U.S. in the future.
In an interview before an April press conference to unveil the technology, Rep. Candice S. Miller, R-MI, called the device "an ingenious high-tech product which is great news for national security, particularly port security."
There is also counterterrorism technology starting to yield positive results that is simply an updated version of an old idea.
Backscatter radar, the X-ray machines that can see through clothing and inside vehicles, and can distinguish between organic and inorganic materials, was originally developed during the Cold War to provide long-range radar. There is now a portable version, called Ruggedized Detection Imaging Modules (RDIM), which can be carried in vans.
The Department of Defense now has 67 of these units in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also, American Science and Engineering Inc. received a $5.5 million order from the U.S. Department of Defense in 2005 for multiple Z Backscatter Imaging modules for explosive threat detection in cars, trucks and other vehicles. The modules, based on technology deployed by AS & E's Backscatter Vans, are reconfigured to meet evolving counterterrorism applications in harsh operating environments. The systems, according to the company, are able to produce photo-like X-ray images of vehicles and other objects for rapid threat analysis and are able to be relocated to ensure a quick response.
Ultimately, terrorist threats abound both here and abroad, and technology is needed that can be used to scan individuals and groups at a distance and that can see through the outer layers of garments and/or packaging that are concealing those threats, GM-I's Patt said.
"The idea," he said, "is to prevent persons that pose a threat from entering airports, subways and public venues."
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