Can Robots Better Spot Terrorists at Airports?
Robots or Airport-security Screeners
Rob Hart | The Wall Street Journal
JACK NICAS | The Wall Steet Journal
Next to have their jobs automated: airport-security screeners?
Aviation and government authorities are starting to use machines in lieu of people to verify the identities of fliers by scanning their faces, irises or fingerprints.
Passengers can pass immigration checks without showing identification to, or talking with, a person. Now, several major airports in Europe have started using these automated ID checks at security checkpoints and boarding gates.
Ultimately, the technology could "get rid of the boarding pass completely." The fliers scanned their irises when checking in, enabling cameras at security checkpoints and boarding gates to automatically recognize them.
Automation of airport security holds the promise to free human screeners so they can focus on detecting suspicious behavior or monitoring flagged travelers. And for some aspects of security, they say, computers can be more thorough and less error-prone than humans.
"People get tired, bored and more prone to making errors," he said. "You hope machines don't have that problem."
And earlier this year, the first fully automated bag-screening machine hit the market. The machine will automatically screen bags for any prohibited items, including weapons, liquids and explosives—without any human assistance.