Boston Airport Replacing X-ray Body Scanners

OverTheGeicoE writes "Boston's Logan International Airport is in the process of replacing its X-ray body scanners with millimeter-wave ones. According to the article, nine of the new scanners have been installed already, and ultimately 27 of these scanners will replace the 17 X-ray backscatter scanners that were installed in March of 2010. The new devices are 'being installed come with software that replaces "passenger-specific images" — or nearly naked views of travelers — with generic outlines that highlight only anomalies such as belts, jewelry, wallets — or guns or bombs.' Perhaps this will help TSA workers avoid being part of a cancer cluster. Some speculate that TSA will ultimately eliminate all of its X-ray body scanners."

Comments

Who makes them?

[Kenja]

Is it the same company profiting by replacing their old useless hardware with the new?

tsa blowing taxpayer money for no benefit

[Dan667]

if these scanners are so important why is rapiscan allowed to make a profit on them?

Re:tsa blowing taxpayer money for no benefit

[dkleinsc]

Waddaya mean, no benefit? I'm sure the shareholders of Rapiscan are benefiting greatly!

Oh, you meant benefit to the public. Nah, the TSA isn't interested in that.

Re:tsa blowing taxpayer money for no benefit

[Jeng]

What is your objection to them making money on a specialized product like that?

Now, I can understand being upset if lets say the person majorly involved in getting them instituted turns out to own a very large part of that company.

The politicians shouldn't profit from it, but the manufacturer should.

Re:tsa blowing taxpayer money for no benefit

[Mitreya]

my contention is there would be no scanners if no one could make a profit on them.

Yeah - Free market rules!

Oh, wait, these are government mandated devices (pushed through with Chertoff's help who also consults with the contractor). And no one does any quality control - they are proven to be ineffective at actually detecting dangerous items, but more are bought anyway

It's like saying that if the speeding ticket/toll booth collection wasn't profitable it wouldn't exist.

Re:tsa blowing taxpayer money for no benefit

[Anonymous Coward]

I suspect it's because we don't live in a communist country.

Actually, it would seem we kinda do live in a communist country

In a capitalist country, airports would purchase the devices if these were needed by shopping around and choosing the best provider. And then if the public wanted the devices in the airport, the airports that had the devices would flourish (or vice versa). Also, in a capitalist country, devices that were demonstrably flawed (at actually detecting things) would be returned for a refund

Now in a communist country, the government might mandate that the devices must be built, irregardless of whether these devices actually work and installed everywhere. By the one contractor chosen by their government friends

Which country are we living in, again?

That's not the most important problem

[dkleinsc]

The key problems with the X-ray machines were:
1. They were invasive searches without anything remotely similar to probable cause.
2. They don't actually stop people from carrying bombs onto aircraft (as has been tested several times).

Re:That's not the most important problem

[Anonymous Coward]

The potentially cancer-causing radiation is not a key problem? I think the standards for security screening need to start with "First, do no harm."

Waste and ineffectiveness is a problem, but it comes second to directly harming innocent people.

Re:That's not the most important problem

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the fact that they were unregulated x-ray equipment operated by un-certified amateur radiologists hired through ads on pizza boxes might qualify as a problem.

Looking back at history

[Anonymous Coward]

We're going to look back at this era in disbelief. It will be like us looking back at early medicine where people took elixirs full of Mercury.

Re:Looking back at history

[GameboyRMH]

We're going through the Gilded Age and McCarthyism for the second time now, how many times does history have to repeat itself until we learn?

Re:Interesting

[kimvette]

A TSA spokesperson declined to comment on this specific case, but said that anyone ejaculating during a pat-down would be subject to arrest.

I don't think the TSA understands cause-and-effect.

No more hand searches

[tgibbs]

Good, I can stop requesting on a hand search when I fly out of Boston. It's not that I consider the exposure particularly hazardous--I don't; I've voluntarily exposed myself to far more radiation over the years--I just saw no point in additional exposure to ionizing radiation when I can avoid it, and I don't really mind the hand search.

Re:Interesting

[Ksevio]

I don't think you looked at the website very carefully...

New and Improved

[edibobb]

mm wavelength scanners will prevent Logan Airport from being blown up by LED T-Shirts.
We need more scanners.