New Scanner May Replace Metal Detectors

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Officials are testing out a new body scan machine that uses electromagnetic waves, dubbed the “millimeter wave machine”, that can scan your body in just a few seconds. Critics are calling it a “virtual strip search” machine.

The millimeter wave machine works like this: A person walks into a large portal — nearly 9 feet tall and 6 feet wide — pauses and lifts his arms while the machine takes two scans using radio waves. The scans take 1.8 seconds, and it takes about a minute for the image to appear on a computer screen in a separate location.
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Yeah, they've been testing these at some European airports for several months now, I'm sort of conflicted.

On the one hand, they do seem a pretty solid technology.

On the other hand, I have a strong aversion to being naked, or even just stripped to my underwear, in front of strangers and I definitely count the the "security" monkeys at airports as strangers.

I also question the need for this, it's smacks of capitalizing off the ridiculous, fear mongering backlash following 9/11 with a shiny fell-good placebo.

US air security was laughable, it's isn't now that it's been brought closer to the levels that we've had in Europe for years (Having had various ongoing terrorist problems for decades which necessitated it).

The sad thing is that no-one wants to shoot down ridiculous, expensive "Solutions" like this because too many people would lose too much face by having to admit that the horrific incident wasn't the result of genius criminal masterminds wielding high tech equipment to beat complex security systems and procedures.

It was a few dudes with box cutters taking advantage of close to non existent security.
Nearly any obstacle, like say a decent lock on the cockpit door, would have foiled the plan.

But hey, I know, let's just go ahead and spend a fuckton of money on this because then people will think they are safer.

I wonder if any politicians have stock in the company that makes these? :p
 
Lets see, it takes 1 minute to process the image add another 10-15 seconds for a person to view the image, At best thats 45 people an hour, 200 people on a plane and its well over 4 hours just to scan the people on that one plane. Theres no way in hell this can be used in todays airports for anything other than random or profiled scanning.Takes to long as it is now to go thru security.
I sure don't like where this paranoia is taking this world. By the time people have figured out what all they have given up for "False Security" it will be to late to get our privacy back. Nothing can be done to gaurentee safety, I dont care what you do, but people think that by having these multimillion dollar scanners will protect them. They would just be better off flapping there arms and flying to there destination on there own. Both are equally possible!
 
I'd say the scan results need to be instantaneous. There won't be a line for the portal, but there could be for allowance to proceed.

First person goes in, has to wait a minute. A few seconds later, the second person goes in and has to wait a minute. The first person still has 57 seconds. After the third person, the first person has 54 seconds and the second person has 57 seconds.

Put the scanners by all airport entrances. That way everyone in the airport should be non-threatening and no one should be late for a plane. Like a ride pass at a theme park.


On the other hand, we don't need creepy airport security staff looking at us in our skivvies. No thank you!
 
They say the radiation from it is about the equivalent of 15 minutes in the sun. To me I don't see how things like that could not be damaging you since that's 15 minutes of radiation packed into 1 minute. For example - If you eat as fast as you can for 15 minutes, you know what you can handle without choking, then you turn around try to eat the same amount you could in 15 minutes except packed into 1 minute; wouldn't you choke? Who's to say our bodies aren't already adapted to handle what the sun does over 15 minutes, and by packing that into 1 minute, 15x normal radiation level, it does some damage to us?

Heck, these guys say this device only does 15x the radiation the sun does and so it is safe; meanwhile you're told to wear sunscreen if you plan to be in the sun for a lengthy period of time or risk skin cancer.
 
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"
 
Diablo2K said:
Lets see, it takes 1 minute to process the image add another 10-15 seconds for a person to view the image, At best thats 45 people an hour, 200 people on a plane and its well over 4 hours just to scan the people on that one plane. Theres no way in hell this can be used in todays airports for anything other than random or profiled scanning.Takes to long as it is now to go thru security.
I sure don't like where this paranoia is taking this world. By the time people have figured out what all they have given up for "False Security" it will be to late to get our privacy back. Nothing can be done to gaurentee safety, I dont care what you do, but people think that by having these multimillion dollar scanners will protect them. They would just be better off flapping there arms and flying to there destination on there own. Both are equally possible!
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you might go into one of these instead of being barred if you fail the normal detector
 
This technology was about 5/6 years ago, and works in real time. I worked for the company that developed it. It does indeed make you look completely nude. It can be suprisingly powerful, eg it can scan entire trucks with thick canvas sides (think illegal immigrants). From my recollection there werent any radiation issues at all - although at the 15 mins of sunlight' level perhaps it was so small it was never even mentioned.
 
I have a very dirty mind. What I'm seeing is this: Hot sexy female security personel looking up from the screen, grinning at me in a naughty way.

OTOH, it could be a guy looking up at the screen and grinning at me in a very naughty way.. ack :p
 
Azhar said:
I have a very dirty mind. What I'm seeing is this: Hot sexy female security personel looking up from the screen, grinning at me in a naughty way.

OTOH, it could be a guy looking up at the screen and grinning at me in a very naughty way.. ack :p
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The image results aren't reviewed in the same room or area as the scanning machine. But if you're hot enough, you can bet she'll personally escort you to your flight, only instead of a plane, it's the break room?
 
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