World’s First Explosive-Detecting Device Unveiled In Japan

Japan has unveiled the world’s first explosive-detecting departure gate. On Wednesday, Japanese firm Hitachi announced that airline passengers could be scanned for bombs as they swipe their boarding passes. The machine blows a short puff of air at a passenger's hand as he scans his pass, the air is then sucked back along with the minute particles that have been blown off the hand. An instant analysis will show if any explosive substances are present on the passenger. All that takes about one to two seconds, short enough to keep people moving through the gate and onto the plane, said senior chief researcher Minoru Sakairi. "This allows screening of all passengers and can make air travel safer," he said. “The device is intended as an extra layer of security on top of existing measures, such as metal detectors, pat-downs and x-ray scanners”. The machine is developed to be effective in finding anyone hiding non-metal-based bombs such as the man who carried plastic explosive in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit in 2009. Hitachi along with Nippon Signal Co and the University of Yamanashi developed the prototype boarding gate with a $3.7 million grant from the government. The technology can also be used for gates at train stations and concerts, government buildings and sporting venues such as Olympic stadiums, Hitachi said. Hitachi plans to further experiment the device at airports and train stations before commercialising the prototype device.