A performance knockout goes back to the jury because of public misconception of radiation
Security decision makers are faced with an almost unfair dilemma in choosing Whole Body Scanners enabling technology. On the one hand, MMWave technology has limited resolution and above all cannot detect intra-cavity smuggling (e.g., passengers hiding plastic bags containing drugs or explosives in their body cavities, terrorists’ plans to use surgeries to implant explosives inside the body of would-be suicide aviation terrorists). On the other hand, Backscatter X-Ray technology provides dramatically-superior screening performance:
It detects explosives and arms within and outside the human body
It provides (some) material identification capabilities (e.g., TNT vs. a bar of chocolate)
It can, due to its high spatial resolution, identify a bomb’s wires
In short, it would be very difficult for terrorists to beat this technology at a radiation dose of a two minutes’ flight at 30.000 feet.
The dilemma arises from the public’s fear of radiation – a term that is automatically connected with the word Cancer. Following 40 years of medical research, no study has indicated any elevation of cancer prevalence in commercial air crews who fly hundreds of hours per year for over 20 years over a non-flying population.
MMWave AIT
Advantages
Does not require bulky portals
Can provide the dielectric constraint of the screened concealed object being screened (if it is dielectric)
No privacy issues
No ionizing radiation
Disadvantages
Limited spatial resolution of ~1cm, but enough to detect an object (>2 cm) mounted outside the body
Can’t detect intra-body concealed explosives and arms
Limited throughput
Safety
Millimeter wave technology emits “thousands of times less energy than a cell “phone transmission. Source: TSA
Backscatter X-Ray
Advantages
High spatial and material ID resolution
Maximum detection of potential threats
Detects metallic and non-metallic weapons
IEDS detection
Detects explosives and drugs
Demonstrated effectiveness in a prison environment
Can be used as primary or secondary screening
Hard to defeat
Some material ID reduces secondary screening
2nd generation systems have no privacy issues
Detects intra-body concealed explosives and arms
Disadvantages
Requires ionizing radiation
Public fear of radiation
Limited throughput
Safety
One backscatter technology scan produces the same exposure as two minutes of flying on an airplane. Source: TSA
