The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has begun a two-month pilot test of whole body imaging systems–one based on active millimeter wave technology and the other on backscatter X-Rays–in a primary screening role at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and George Bush (Houston) Intercontinental Airport.
The tests will include L-3 Communications’ [LLL] ProVision millimeter wave system, of which TSA currently has over 30 systems being used in ongoing pilot tests at airport checkpoints, and OSI Systems [OSIS] Rapiscan Systems division’s Secure 1000 system. The imaging systems are being loaned by the companies to TSA.
The use of the Secure 1000 marks a return of sorts of the backscatter technology to TSA’s testing of WBI systems at airport security checkpoints. The agency began pilot testing American Science and Engineering‘s [ASEI] SmartCheck backscatter imaging system at several airport checkpoints beginning in 2007 and also tested the Rapiscan system at at least one airport as well. These systems were tested in secondary screening roles.
However, TSA eventually began testing L-3’s millimeter wave-based system for secondary screening and ultimately removed the backscatter machines from the checkpoint pilot tests. The agency has always maintained that it continues to examine various technologies to do WBI at checkpoints and has never ruled out doing further testing or purchases of the backscatter systems.
Both the millimeter wave and backscatter systems produce images that display potential threats hidden inside or beneath a person’s clothing. The ProVision system requires a person to step into the machine for an image scan. The person then makes a partial turn and is quickly imaged again before stepping out the other side.
In the past the backscatter systems require that a person stand beside the imager for a front side scan and then turn for a back side scan. However, Rapiscan recently introduced a version of its Secure 1000 that requires just a single pose, which would make for speedier throughput (TR2, May 27). In the new tests the single pose capability will be used although the imager still takes two scans, front and back simultaneously
“This should drive down the time needed for a single scan of a passenger,” a TSA spokeswoman tells TR2.
The single pose feature is what TSA is testing, the spokeswoman says. The ProVision system is being tested for a new software change although this isn’t related to image quality or privacy concerns, she says.
The two systems are not being tested against each other as part of a competition, the spokeswoman says. TSA last week did issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) related to a presolicitation notice in April seeking sources for WBI systems leading to the establishment of a Qualified Product List (QPL). The RFP, while unclassified, is “controlled” meaning it can be viewed only by vendors registered through FedBizOpps.Gov. The agency says it plans to keep the QPL open so that vendors can submit their solutions for possible testing and inclusion on the list.
TSA this year began testing the ProVision system in a primary screening role at six airport checkpoints. Cleveland Hopkins and Bush Intercontinental are the seventh and eighth airports respectively that are testing WBI systems for primary screening.
Use of the WBI systems by passengers is in lieu of a metal detector and is optional although persons that don’t select this method will be subject to pat downs. As with other pilot tests of WBI systems, the Transportation Security Officer (TSO) assisting the passenger never sees the image. Instead, the images are viewed remotely by a TSO who never sees the passenger. Moreover, the ProVision system blurs all facial features and the Secure 1000 has a privacy protection algorithm applied to the entire image. Also the systems cannot save, print or transmit images.