Liberty Defense Airport Shoe Screening Technology has been awarded the 2022 Interagency Partnership Award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer.
The technology allows shoes to be screened without the need for passengers to remove them. The millimetre-wave shoe scanners use advanced imaging to detect concealed objects in footwear. Passengers will be asked to pause on a low-profile imaging platform for two seconds while electromagnetic waves generate an image of their shoes. This screening process is more efficient and seamless.
“In practice, the shoe screener could be integrated into the floor of the existing airport body scanning portals or be used as a standalone unit at the checkpoint. Our goal is to improve not only the efficacy of airport screening, but also improve the experience of passengers. This technology has the potential to do just that.”
The shoe screening technology was initially developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and was exclusively licensed to Liberty Defense for commercialisation.
The annual Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer awards recognise outstanding technology transfer achievements from federal laboratories. PNNL’s work on the shoe screening technology was developed in partnership with the US Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate.
“This is a great accomplishment and a true reflection of the partnership between PNNL and Liberty to bring innovative and next generation security technology to the market. The shoe screening technology, paired with the High-Definition Advanced Imaging Technology body scanner, also licensed to Liberty, will revolutionise screening at aviation checkpoints.”
