New technology could allow airport security to ‘feel’ for threats through virtual pat-downs, letting agents identify threats without physically touching passengers.
The concept, called the Wearable Sensor for Contactless Physical Assessment (WSCPA),
is in early development for the US’ TSA airport security force, which
could see security officers use VR headsets, haptic gloves and touchless sensors
to simulate the sensation of touch, if approved.
This ‘touchless’ technology could
help TSA agents to identify hidden objects without making contact with the person,
using touchless sensors to register an object’s contours and generate feedback to
physically replicate the target object.
The WSCPA system scans the body using
advanced imaging methods similar to LIDAR, creating a ‘contour map’ of the
object or body part that is being examined.
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