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Assessment of Millimeter-Wave and Terahertz Technology for Detection and Identification of Concealed Explosives and Weapons (2007) / Chapter Skim
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5 Implementation Strategy for the Deployment of Millimeter-Wavelength/Terahertz Technologies for Aviation Security
Pages 53-58

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From page 53...
... Past commercial applications have been tried and/or discussed for four decades. These include the manufacture of power cables, the measurement of dehydration in plants and animals, imaging systems for environmental problems such as detection of oil spills, imaging for law enforcement, and a variety of proposals for remote detection of gaseous species.
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From page 54...
... It can also be said that this "crossover spectral region" where the radiation is neither optical nor electronic1 has created special challenges for the design engineer attempting to build hardware. Neither a compelling application nor a compelling breakthrough design concept has emerged to change the paradigm.
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From page 55...
... The performance criterion will be the probability of detection achieved versus the rate of false positives at a specified throughput. For systems that provide detailed images of anatomical features, other factors such as privacy and modesty issues need to be considered.
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From page 56...
... To address privacy concerns about and obtain public acceptance of full-body imaging will require careful and extensive public education to preclude the spread of "urban legends" and false or misleading information. The report states: 2 Statement of Timothy D
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From page 57...
... For this report, the committee limited its review to the technical issues that would move these technologies closer to implementation, without considering the public's acceptance of the deployed technology. A field trial to gauge both feasibility and public acceptance of such technology was conducted by QinetiQ at Gatwick Airport and summarized as follows: "The results of this trial indicated that public reaction to the possible introduction of this technology into UK airports has been favorable, and that the performance of this imager in detecting specific threat items concealed on passengers, such as metal or ceramic weapons has been very encouraging."4 Cost Issues In the past decade, the cost reductions and performance improvements of devices to generate, control, and detect radiation in the spectral region millimeter-wavelength/ terahertz made detection systems viable for checking baggage and scanning people.
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From page 58...
... be gathered from operations of similar systems and complete logs maintained during the pilot demonstration phase of system deployment. Industrial experience has shown that initial cost may comprise only 10 to 15 percent of the total cost.5 5 J.T.
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Key Terms

  • spectral region
  • anatomical features
  • public acceptance
  • initial cost
  • guns carried

  • remote detection
  • complete logs
  • trial indicated
  • specified throughput
  • interpret images

  • acceptable reliability
  • design engineer
  • predictor models
  • breakthrough design
  • performance criterion

  • prison security
  • business diversity
  • power cables
  • false positives
  • business opportunities

  • compelling breakthrough
  • law enforcement
  • detection achieved
  • production environment
  • surely require

  • relations campaigns
  • using widely
  • build hardware
  • females screen
  • various measures


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
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