by Andrea Turner
Across the United States, passengers are entering a space age-looking machine that can detect objects hidden on their bodies.
The system, known as ProVision™, was developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and is now in 10 airports; by 2009, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will install a total of 120 more systems in 21 airports.
"Using the millimeter wave technology in airports is one of the first significant changes we've made to checkpoint technology since the 1970s," said Ellen Howe, TSA's assistant administrator for strategic communications and public affairs. "The technology is being more broadly deployed in the airport environment because of its ability to detect materials that cannot be found by the walk thru metal detector."
PNNL's millimeter wave technology was just a gleam in researcher Doug McMakin's eye in the 1980s.
By the early 1990s, he and a team developed a prototype that was tested at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and demonstrated for companies in the U.S., Japan, Canada, and Israel.
It wasn't until 2002, however, that the technology actually moved toward the marketplace.
Battelle, which operates PNNL for the Department of Energy, licensed the patented technology to SafeView, Inc., a startup company formed in 2002 to commercialize the scanning technology into noninvasive security "portals."
In 2006, L-3 Communications acquired SafeView, Inc., and started selling the ProVision systems to TSA for use in airport screening.
By the end of 2008, 21 U.S. airports will have ProVision systems, and TSA will purchase and install 80 more in 2009.
"You can see the ear-to-ear grin on my scanned image," said Doug McMakin, one of the technology developers. "It's very gratifying to see your work in the marketplace, particularly when it's being used in public places and for important purposes like airport security."
The millimeter wave technology uses non-harmful, ultrahigh-frequency radio waves to penetrate clothing; the reflection off the body allows system operators to see hidden objects—even nonmetallic ones, which is just one of the advantages of the system.
Other advantages are its scanning speed (about 30 seconds) and the fact that it doesn't require person-to-person contact.
"I'd certainly prefer to be scanned rather than patted down," said McMakin.
