Liquid bottle scanning technology to be used at London's Heathrow airport

Air travellers in Great Britain will soon notice a new technology used in security screening lines that will allow them to bring liquids on airplanes.

The LS10 liquid bottle scanner, developed by Battelle and marketed by Sellex, is a screening technology that scans liquids, aerosols and gels in almost any container for threats such as explosives.

Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) recently purchased the unit for use in its terminals at London Heathrow Airport in addition to Aberdeen, Glasgow International and Southampton Airports. It was selected after an extensive trial evaluation period conducted in early 2013. A number of airports in Scandinavia have also purchased the device for screening LAGS (liquids, aerosols and gels) at security checkpoints.

In January, the European Union will begin permitting a limited category of liquids, aerosols and gels under a phased implementation to be carried onto airplanes, making the safe, quick scanning of such materials crucial to airline security and passenger flow through checkpoints.

The technology uses dual sensing modalities to detect threat flammables, acids, and explosive liquids, aerosols and gels within sealed or unopened glass, plastic, metal, paper and ceramic containers whether clear or opaque. It integrates the use of radio frequency (RF) and ultrasonic technology to non-invasively interrogate liquids, aerosols and gels in containers. The device can distinguish threat liquids, aerosols and gels from benign substances and alerts security personnel of suspicious contents quickly and accurately.

“The ability to scan such a wide array of containers - and to do so in a very small, compact size - is what sets us apart,” said Mike Janus, critical infrastructure general manager for Battelle National Security. “We’ve been able to successfully scan everything from toothpaste tubes to a treasured set of porcelain cows filled with liquor purchased in a duty-free shop.”