United Kingdom-based ThruVision has stood up a U.S.-based subsidiary to better work with potential customers in North America.

ThruVision, Inc., stood up in Northern Virginia last November, Kevin Gramer, vice president, Americas at ThruVision, tells HSR in a recent interview.

The company has been working with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration recently on evaluations of its new TAC passive millimeter wave technology system in detecting person-borne improvised explosive devices in mass transit environments.

In late February, ThruVision, working with the TSA and New York City officials, demonstrated the TAC system at Penn Station.

“At long last and not a moment too soon, the TSA has agreed to bring this new, potentially life-saving technology to New York City and Penn Station for testing, and so we thank the TSA for heeding the call,” says Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) about the Feb. 27 test of the TAC system. “The ability to detect concealed explosives worn by cowards looking to do us harm demands the federal government continue to put both the testing and the perfecting of this technology on the fast-track.”

On March 5, ThruVision, working with TSA and the Los Angeles Metro, evaluated the TAC system in L.A. metro system. Gramer says the company is working with TSA on other potential deployments.

ThruVision developed the TAC system and with the help of TSA was able to accelerate development. The stand-off system is based on terahertz technology and is designed to screen moving people safely and non-invasively for concealed threats such as explosives, guns and knives.

The system also features an operator assist alarm to highlight potential hidden items but Gramer points out that this is not an automated threat alert capability.

TAC can be deployed in various configurations, including floor mount, ceiling mount and in a mobile package. Gramer says it can also be housed covertly.

ThruVision has about 200 of its systems deployed globally, with the Asian customs agencies making up the largest customers. Gramer says agencies in Asia typically use the company’s systems for contraband detection.

Interest in screening people on the move in public spaces is growing for security purposes as the threat has evolved, Gramer says. Schumer, prior to the evaluation of TAC at Penn Station, pointed to a failed attack last December when a terrorist set of a pipe bomb in a bus terminal in New York City but ended up only hurting himself.

Gramer says that there are existing funding opportunities in TSA’s and the Defense Department’s budgets for his company’s technology. He also says ThruVision is working with “local transit authorities and through the grant funding process to identify additional sources of funding.”

“The technology is ready for operational deployment,” Gramer says.