Apr 17, 2008 7:47 pm US/Eastern
Full Body Scanners Unveiled At JFK & LAX
Machines Produce Computerized Image Of Traveler's Body
TSA: Energy Emitted 10,000 Times Less Than Cell Phone
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
New technology that creates a 3D image of a passenger's whole body in less than a minute and a half was rolled out Thursday at John F. Kennedy Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
The imaging devices are used instead of the more traditional "pat down." The machines have actually been in use for six months at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.
And lessons the Transportation Security Administration says it learned in Phoenix, particularly passenger concerns about privacy, it hopes will make things go smoothly -- right here in New York City.
The new Millimeter Wave Technology is here. Get used to it because it's about to be standard gear for travelers at airports.
"It creates a robotic image of the body that reveals items that may be hidden," said Gale Rossides of the TSA.
CBS 2 HD witnessed a robotic image being created from the 3D scan of a woman.
"This allows a view of the body without any physical contact with the passenger," Rossides said.
The 3D scan is being done in one place; the operator is looking at the image someplace else. Yes, it "sees" through clothing. If the passenger has no weapons or explosives, they pass through.
Passengers will be given the alternative of stepping into the booth rather than submit to a "pat down." for one of the following reasons:
"Whether that be that they've been selected by the airlines; or they alarmed the metal detector -- for whatever reason that a passenger requires secondary screening -- they can opt to do the millimeter wave," said TSA's Laura Uselding.
In Phoenix, where the "wave technology" has been used for the past six months, the TSA says 90 percent of passengers opted for the booth. Rather than the "pat down."
Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's program on technology and liberty, said he nevertheless had concerns.
"The images that I've seen are quite revealing," he said. "I guarantee you that as this gets more commonly used, you'll be seeing these images on the Internet."
Now, about those electromagnetic waves that make this image, the TSA insists waves are harmless, claiming the energy emitted is 10,000 times less than what comes out of a cell phone.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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