Fraport is testing a walk-through security scanner for passengers at Frankfurt Airport.
Anyone travelling from airports with the new security system that allows them to keep their liquids in their bags might think that system is the way forward.
The trouble with those system is passengers have to spend about 30 seconds posing in a machine with their arms and legs at weird angles while a machine somewhere detects they have a piece of paper in their pocket and that they have to go thru a plastic glove check.
Clearly those systems are terrible.
So it is great news that Fraport and Rohde & Schwarz are trialling a system that removes that faff and lets passengers walk thru a scanner with jackets etc on.
The scanner does the work.
How it works
The aim of the walk-through scanner is to make security checks faster and more comfortable for passengers while maintaining the same high level of security.
The walk-through scanner can detect all kinds of items quickly and contact-free. The scanner provides a more pleasant security experience: passengers do not have to stop to be scanned and can instead slowly walk through the scanner at a normal pace without stopping.
The millimeter-wave technology can penetrate multiple layers of clothing, making it unnecessary to remove jackets and coats.
This makes a big difference in terms of comfort and personal privacy when going through security.
AI based detection software automatically identifies metallic and non-metallic objects. Any anomalies detected on passengers are accurately displayed in real time on a unisex avatar, reducing the need for follow-up checks.
If a check is needed, security staff can focus on the areas that have triggered an alarm instead of patting down the passenger.
The test and evaluation phase is set to last up to six months.
Location
The checkpoints selected for the test phase are in the Schengen Concourse A of Terminal 1. This concourse is ideal for the test as it has on average, 15,000 passengers every day.
Supplier
The system comes from German company Rohde & Schwarz.
The machine is the R&S QPS Walk2000 and is designed to speed up security checks.
The test phase at Frankfurt aims to provide a direct comparison of the R&S QPS Walk2000 against the tried and tested R&S QPS201 scanners in use.
Fraport acquired and set up the R&S QPS Walk2000, but the German Federal Police are responsible for all security-related tests and will ultimately grant approval for use in day-to-day operations.
