I’m not sure if the story has gotten a little exaggerated, but according to the Daily Mail:
The latest scanners acquired by the U.S. government will be able detect the most minute traces of molecular discrepancies in both individuals’ bloodstream and carry on luggage from 50 meters away.
Using advanced laser technology, Picosecond Programmable Laser scanners will show traces of drugs, chemicals, weapons, and even food you recently digested at the push of a button.
I presume that means the laser can reach blood close to the surface of your skin? Apart from that, the other amazing aspect is the speed at which the device can process the data:
The process of scanning and downloading the information takes only picoseconds- so one-trillionth of a second- which means that security workers would be alerted to any alarming substances as you were approaching them.
Because it takes such a short amount of time to use the laser technology and interpret the data, security officials will not have to discriminate among suspicious passengers and will have time to use the technology on everyone.
Unless some law or government promise is in place, citizens will never know where and when they are being scanned. This could certainly have ramifications for grey areas like recreational drugs – Ecstasy for example.
Solutions? Well, people would need their own detectors that could alert them to being scanned. Or if the public was sufficiently disgruntled, they could start carrying innoucuos substances that mimmick something dangerous. Too many false positives could render the scanning useless…
BTW, there is also affordable technology that can scan your fingerprints from 20 feet away!
