"Florida Company Hopes To Revolutionize Airport Security"

Monday, February 20, 2006

Local Company Hopes To Revolutionize Airport Security
WESH-TV Ch 2 (NBC), Orlando (FL)


ORLANDO, Fla. -- A local company said they are able to revolutionize airport
security, spotting a hidden weapon without a wand or a pat down.

Imaging Systems of Orlando said word about its product is spreading among
homeland security experts and the U.S. military. They said what makes this
system so unique is its ability to detect concealed weapons at a very safe
distance, WESH 2 News reported.

The concealed weapons detection system claims to identify any weapons or
explosives a person might be trying to hide under their clothing, and it can
do it without the person even knowing by measuring radio waves.

"All materials, including humans, generate a certain amount of millimeter
wave energy, or radio waves," Brijot Imaging Systems of Orlando CEO Brian
Andrew said. 

The radio waves generated by a person's body and those generated by objects
like a gun, knife or bomb appear differently when photographed through the
system's small radio telescope. This allows the system to hone in on what
could be a concealed weapon.

A normal metal detector would not pick up on a plastic explosive that a
suicide bomber might wear, but the concealed weapons detection system
detects the explosive.

The creators of the device, Brijot Imaging Systems of Orlando, believe it
will eventually make metal detectors obsolete.

"Once you've gone through a metal detector you then have to be wanded or
patted down or searched," Andrew said. "In this case, we do all of that
while you're standing in front of the camera."

When a possible concealed weapon is flagged, a security guard could politely
ask the person to show what they are carrying on that area of their body.

As for privacy concerns, the image only shows the person's body as a bright
white mass. No intimate details or information about age or race can be
detected.

For now, Brijot will only say its system is being tested in many locations
around the world, but they have pretty high hopes.

"Everywhere where terror is an issue or even violent crime, this will be
very helpful in stopping those sort of things," Andrew said.

The cost of the weapons detection system is about $60,000.

Brijot said they can't release any details, but they did say it is currently
in use overseas to protect U.S. troops.

Click the link below to view the video:

http://www.wesh.com/news/7253831/detail.html


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************