New machine identifies hazardous liquids in carry-on luggage

Los Alamos National Laboratory, located in New Mexico, recently received a $3.3 million grant from the DHS to develop a baggage-screening system that can identify hazardous liquids, including liquid explosives.

Called SENSIT, derived from “sense it,” the system is almost perfected and is awaiting its first test next August at Albuquerque’s Sunport Airport. Goals are to determine if the scanner can be effective in a crowded airport environment.

The technology will replace current methods used by the Transportation Security Administration, by which screeners use either X-ray machines that can identify but not differentiate between liquids, or handheld scanners that can detect only some types of liquid explosives.

Unlike X-ray machines, SENSIT does not use radiation to screen liquids. Instead, the scanner uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), by which magnetic signatures identify chemicals in liquids at the molecular level.

To date, the scanner can identify 50 liquids, some dangerous and some safe. When hand-carried luggage passes through the scanner, the security worker sees a green dot on a computer screen to signify a safe liquid. Unsafe liquids show a red dot on the viewing screen, while liquids that cannot be identified by the machine are designated with a yellow dot.

If SENSIT passes its trial run, the scanning machine may eliminate restrictions on the amount of liquids transported in hand-carried luggage. Currently, airline passengers must restrict carry-on liquids to no more than 3 ozs., and liquids must be placed in containers that fit into a single quart-size clear plastic bag. This restriction was introduced in September 2006 following intelligence warnings of a pending attack involving liquid explosives on a trans-Atlantic flight.