Shoe scanner seeks to bolster airport security

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is developing millimeter wave shoe screening technology designed to enhance airport security.

The initiative stems from the Screening at Speed Program, which began in 2016 and is pursuing transformative research and development activities supporting a future vision for increasing security effectiveness while reducing wait times and improving the passenger experience.

“We are looking for a two-fold benefit – to improve detection of current and emerging threats to aviation and to improve the passenger experience in the airport,” said John Fortune, program manager for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Apex Screening at Speed Program.
Fortune asked S&T sociology expert Kathleen Deloughery to conduct a study in seven airports across the nation, which took place in September and October 2018, focusing on the types of footwear passengers wear.

Primary research for the study found that three-quarters of travelers do not have a TSA Pre✓ or similar program membership allowing them to expedite screening, which enables passengers to keep their shoes on. The work also included research of shoe manufacturer websites and marketing study reviews.

“One, there weren’t any great studies and two, we were concerned from the get-go that the shoes people wear when flying might not match up to the shoes they wear in their everyday life,” Deloughery said. “So we decided that it is best to go out and look at the travelers to get the right idea.”

Deloughery said she envisions a screening process where passengers stand on the shoe scanner for a few seconds, adding if an alarm sounds, a TSA officer will ask the traveler to remove his shoes and put them through an X-ray scanner, as is the procedure now.