Get Ready for Airport Iris Scanners

The Atlantic: They were only recently upgraded, but airport security checkpoints are desperately in need of a fix. We know how people feel about the invasive body scanners that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is currently using to scan for harmful materials before flight. New technology discussed Tuesday at the annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association would get rid of those scanners -- and cut your average wait time down from 35 minutes to zero minutes. The Atlantic Wire's Adam Clark Estes has more information on the proposed change:

Kind of like the failed "puffer" bomb sniffer, the "Checkpoint of the Future" looks like an illuminated car wash with three portals. An iris scan matches you to a chip in your passport or identification card and also assigns a security-risk level that determines which of the three portals you'll enter--"known traveler," normal security, or enhanced security. Depending on your security level, a series of x-rays would then analyze your body and your luggage contents while you walk through a long tunnel. Travelers in the high-risk tunnel would be subject to a more aggressive, full-body scan that checks for for explosives and liquids.

It's a bit Orwellian, but airport security officials nevertheless seem excited. U.S. Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole attended the unveiling and announced plans to implement the new fast-track system within the next five years. "It's something that's long overdue," Pistole said at the conference. "We're not at the checkpoint of the future yet but we're working toward that. I think eventually we will see something similar." The TSA could use an upgrade as everybody clearly hates the invasive body scanners introduced last year. They hate them passionately.