Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a shoe-scanning device for airport security kiosks and have also enhanced the capabilities of existing scanners already used at those kiosks to detect concealed threats.

In a bid to keep travelers safe following the attacks of September 11, 2001, and a subsequent increase in threats to safety, airport security has expanded to include holographic millimeter wave scanning technology for the detection of concealed devices such as guns, knives and other weapons, and a requirement to remove shoes where such devices can also be concealed.

F-shaped piece of metal, concealed in the sole of a shoe, is revealed by the millimeter wave shoe scanner developed by PNNL. Source: David Sheen/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

As such, the PNNL team in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate has developed a low-profile imaging platform where travelers stand for just a few seconds while electromagnetic waves produce an image of travelers' shoes to determine if anything is concealed within them.

According to developers, the technology could improve wait times at security kiosks by as mush as 15% to 20% by eliminating the time it takes for travelers to remove their shoes.

In addition to developing the shoe-scanning tech, the PNNL team is also working to improve holographic millimeter wave scanning tech currently in use at airports around the world. The next generation of airport scanners now reportedly produces higher resolution images, improving threat detection and resulting in fewer false alarms.

PNNL envisions eventually incorporating the shoe-scanning technology into the next-gen scanners and has licensed both technologies to concealed weapons detection firm Liberty Defense Holdings, Ltd.