The portal itself has been in laboratory development for three years. During the two to four weeks the portal is in operation at the airport, the Sandia researchers plan to test more than 2,000 passengers having a range of body sizes and shapes. The purposes of the FAA-required tests are to gauge passenger acceptance of the technology, identify any reliability issues that need to be addressed, and optimize the detector's performance with the ultimate goal of its widespread adoption at airports across the country. As usual, passengers and visitors to the airport's terminals will be required to pass through metal detectors and the usual carry-on baggage check regimen. A uniformed security officer then will ask some passengers to volunteer to help researchers test the explosives-detection portal.
Volunteers can choose to stop participating at any time.
The new portal looks like an airport metal detector with vents and nozzles on its inside walls and ceiling. If a passenger had even a minute concentration of explosive residue on his or her skin or clothing, the quantity and type of chemical would be displayed on an adjacent computer screen. If a participant tested positive for explosives during the tests, and if suspicions remained following additional screening, airport security would be notified. The portal is fully automated. Sandia researcher Kevin Linker steps inside a new explosives-detection portal under development at Sandia National Laboratories for the Federal Aviation Administration.