With Footwear Scanners Failing in Airport Tests, the Shoes Still Have to Come Off
Source: NYT
After spending millions of dollars testing four different scanning devices that would allow airline passengers to keep their shoes on at security checkpoints, the United States government has decided for now that travelers must continue to remove their footwear, by far the leading source of frustration and delays at the airport.
The Transportation Security Administration said it had rejected all four devices because they failed to adequately detect explosives and metal weapons during tests at various airports. One of the scanners is now used in airports in 18 countries.
Last September, Secretary Janet Napolitano of the Homeland Security Department raised hopes when she said that research and development on scanning machines was progressing and that air travelers would eventually be able to keep their shoes on.
But nearly a year later, the T.S.A., which is overseen by Homeland Security, said it was not any closer to finding a solution. Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman for the agency, would not address why it had rejected the devices.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/us/shoe-scanners-fail-tests-at-us-airports.html
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)Why not use that. Make a clear plastic box with small holes in them that is 8 feet tall that blows air through it and use the wasps to see their reaction to smells. Air, Plastic and wasps. How much can that costs?
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)and has nothing to do with actually detecting explosives...
skydive forever
(445 posts)have been some variety of underwear bombs. When are we all going to have to take off our underwear for flying? Seriously, having to take off your shoes is just BS, personally I wish people would wake up.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)some guy tries to blow a hole in a plane with his exploding clown shoes, and as a result we have to take off our shoes at the airport.
Yet...
When some guy who tries to blow a hole in a plane via his underwear, we don't have to take our clothes off.
LOL
queenjane
(296 posts)What? Like I'm the only person on DU who wouldn't mind????? :0
KeepItReal
(7,769 posts)DISCLAIMER: Disaster Capitalists will make no profit off this solution, unless they are bomb-sniffing dog trainers.
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)remind them of this idiot procedure which has truly inconvenienced millions and produced no results.
Zero!
Like voter fraud. No reason for the loss of freedoms.