Staff report
The Exponent Telegram
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — The Transportation Security Administration introduced the latest checkpoint screening technology equipment at North Central West Virginia Airport this week.
With the addition of the new Advanced Imaging Technology machine, the airport is able to further strengthen security for passengers flying out of Bridgeport and the surrounding community, TSA officials say.
The scanner uses automated target recognition software that eliminates passenger-specific images and instead auto-detects potential threats by indicating their location on a generic outline of a person, officials say.
It’s the same generic image for all passengers, regardless of their gender, height or weight and is designed to enhance passenger privacy, officials say.
The technology is state-of-the-art equipment with software that uses bright yellow boxes to indicate to a TSA officer the location of an alarm on the generic “cookie cutter” image of a passenger. This way the officer knows exactly where to check for a possible threat item, officials say.
The equipment uses millimeter wave technology that is designed to enhance security by safely screening passengers for metallic and non-metallic threats —including weapons, explosives and other objects concealed under layers of clothing, officials say.
Imaging technology screening is safe for all travelers, and the technology meets all known national and international health and safety standards, officials say. In fact, the energy emitted by millimeter wave technology is 1,000 times less than the international limits and guidelines, officials say.
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