Kip Powick Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 New explosive detector unwrapped at BWI It's a field test of the upgraded Sentinel II model, a walk-through "puffer machine" at Baltimore-Washington International's Pier D. It's touted as a significant improvement on earlier types. Maker Smiths Detection describes the model as a non-invasive scanner that can process 400 people an hour. It operates automatically, blowing a puff of air over a traveler's body. The air sample is then analyzed by the machine for trace amounts of explosives. The BWI airport program is also aimed at reducing security pat-downs, James Ports Jr., deputy secretary of the Maryland Transportation Department, tells The Washington Times. Such pat-downs have proven unpopular with many travelers, especially women. "Right now, we're going to go through the pilot program to find out how technically sound this is, if vibrations from the building disrupt the machine, if it's too much burden on passengers," Ports said. "After we do that, then we decide which machine to go with," he said. General Electric also has an explosive tracing machine, which is being tested at two Amtrak stations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyBlazer Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 They had one of these at the base of the CN tower and hey I thought that it was just a neato side show before you got to up the elevator to the top...now it all makes sense. Hmmmmmm puts a whole new spin on telling a security guard to blow me. SB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon The Loon Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 Wonder if it'll detect trace amounts of ceramic knives and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.