U.S. Government to Deploy Laser Technology for Searching People
CBS and Gizmodo are reporting that the Department of Homeland Security has developed a new device which uses laser-based scanning technology to search people for traces of “explosives, dangerous chemicals, or bioweapons.” Explosive and narcotics residue detection is certainly nothing new, but the ability to detect it from 164-feet away and without physical contact is nearly unprecedented in law enforcement investigation.
Developed by the private tech company In-Q-Tel, nicknamed the “Wizards of Langley,” the Picosecond Programmable Laser (PPL) is leaps and bounds ahead of the x-ray machines, millimeter wave scanners, and residue detectors the TSA currently uses in airports across the country. In contrast to the current models, which all require either direct contact or extremely close proximity to the subjects, this new device works:
by blasting its target with lasers which vibrate molecules that are then read by the machine that determine what substances a person has been exposed to. This could be Semtex explosives or the bacon and egg sandwich they had for breakfast that morning.
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