New type detector detects weapons in humans

A new generation high-frequency radio scanner will provide greater support for airports and railroad security, thanks to the ability to automatically detect daggers or hidden guns.

Miles of milimeter-wave radiation are easily absorbed, absorbed and reflected by different materials at varying degrees. Thanks to this feature it is well suited for security checks. It can be used to recognize daggers or pistols, and even non-metal weapons such as ceramic knives. However, security centers still need people to find hidden weapons.

The software recognizes the knives and guns hidden beneath the clothes. (Photo: NewScientist)

The new scanner will broadcast millimeter-wave radio to the target, capturing reflected waves and converting it into a two-dimensional image. Computer software will analyze these images quickly, finding the suspects.

The new system will therefore speed up security checks by scanning for weapons quickly, said Yvan Petillot, a computer graphics expert at Heriot-Watt University in the UK.

In the test, participants were asked to stand a few meters ahead of the scanner and rotate 360 degrees. Some people were armed with small pistols below their clothing. The computer can recognize the gun based on its shape and trace it through several continuous frames using image-processing techniques.

Emanuele Trucco, a research team member, said the system was more beneficial than traditional metal detectors at the airport.

"The device is more powerful because it can tell exactly what the metal object is and where it is without re-checking it by hand or forcing passengers to remove all the items," he said. Scanners are also more reliable than humans in some cases.

However, other scientists say the system needs further refinement to meet security testing requirements.

T. An