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Airport scanner could cut lines

Trial period for a liquid security device starts at Ruzyně this week

By Kimberly Ashton
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
November 28th, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Ruzyně expects 12.4 million travelers to pass through this year; the Emili 1 machine could reduce wait times at security.
Prague’s airport is testing a technology that could eventually end the need to chug that bottle of water before going through the security check.
A new device, called the Emili 1, uses microwaves to detect benign liquids from hazardous ones that could be used for terrorism. Ideally, it could speed up onerous security lines at airports, make flights safer and — eventually — lead to the elimination of the ban on outside liquids.
“We are testing it in operating conditions and are interested in how it affects the process of security screenings,” says Stanislav Jonáš, specialist for security at Prague–Ruzyně International Airport.
In other words, the tests at Ruzyně over the next two weeks, starting Nov. 29, are not focused on the efficacy of the machine, but rather how it impacts wait times.
It will be tried at Terminal 2, which is used for flights to and from Schengen zone countries. During the test, nothing will change in current security regulations and passengers will still not be allowed to bring drinks past the security checkpoint.
Instead, the machine will be tested on the few liquids that are already allowed on board.
Streamlining security
Following an incident at London’s Heathrow International Airport in which a terror plot involving liquid explosives was uncovered, the European Union passed legislation Nov. 6, 2006 that forbids passengers from taking liquid or gel items of more than 100 grams a piece — or 1 liter altogether — past the security checkpoint.
Immediately, travelers were introduced to the routine of cramming their hand lotion, lipstick and other carry-on toiletries into sealable plastic bags for inspection. Exceptions are made for medications, baby food and breast milk, Jonáš says.
“It’s something that causes airports nightmares,” says physicist Norbert Klein, managing director of the Jülich-based company Emisens, which developed the Emili 1, in reference to both the lines and the security risks that liquids pose. In fact, he adds, even the current restrictions are seen as too liberal by some experts. “One hundred milliliters is still not very safe,” Klein says. “Liquids are still a terrorist hazard.”
Klein’s machine works by analyzing the makeup of the liquids and flagging any that have an alcohol content greater than 50 to 55 percent, contain hydrochloric or other strong acids, or have organic materials in them. It is not harmful to any liquids.
Although Prague’s airport is the first to test the Emili 1, other devices that seek to detect harmful liquids are being tried at airports worldwide, such as machines in the United States that X-ray water and “sniff” containers for traces of explosives.
But, compared with those technologies, the benefit of the Emili 1 is that it can scan a bottle of water in one second, Klein says. Testing by Emisens has already shown that it’s effective in detecting harmful liquids, even if it issues false alarms, Klein says. For example, some alcoholic drinks might set the system off.
Klein says he is now in talks with airport officials in Dubai and Tel Aviv about testing the machine there.
Emisens is also working on creating a portable scanner that can detect ceramic instruments, and on a scanning device for shoes on which passengers could stand without having to take off their footwear.
Airport officials are not yet thinking about buying the machine, according to Eva Krejčí, spokeswoman for Ruzyně Airport. And, ultimately, whether all this technology and testing will make its way into airports permanently is up to politicians. The EU law regarding liquids would need to be changed and Klein says that bureaucracy might slow down that process. For now, lifting the ban is nowhere in sight.

Kimberly Ashton can be reached at kashton@praguepost.com


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