The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is installing 11 new automated screening lanes (ASL) at Louis Armstrong International Airport. The ASL include computed tomography (CT) scanners to provide a clear 3D image of the contents of a traveler’s carry-on bag. Using a touchscreen monitor, TSA officers can rotate the image to get a more complete view of what is inside each bag.
The ASLs also include four divesting countertops per lane designed specifically to enable up to four passengers to place their items in bins simultaneously; automated and powered conveyor rollers that move bins into the x-ray machine tunnel and then feed the bins back to the front of the security checkpoint; and automatic diversion of any carry-on bag that may contain a prohibited item to a secure conveyor belt, which allows other bins containing other travelers’ belongings to continue through the screening process uninterrupted.
The bins are 25% larger than a standard bin and are able to hold a carry-on suitcase. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on each bin provides additional accountability of a traveler’s carry-on property as they move throughout the security screening process; and cameras capture digital images of the contents of each bin, which are then linked side-by-side to the x-ray image of a carry-on bag’s contents to easily match a bag to its x-ray image.
ASLs are in operation at other airports, such as Charlotte Douglas. Read more about this installation here.