Iris scanners help passengers zip through airport security

Airline passengers in the United States could soon be zipping through security checkpoints thanks to iris scanners.

London’s Gatwick and Qatar’s Doha International airport have already implemented iris scanners from AOptix Technologies, which allow passengers to simply walk through a checkpoint as the scanners can accurately read a person’s iris from as far as eight feet away.

In contrast, many existing scanner force an individual to stand three to eighteen inches away, dramatically slowing the time it takes to pass through a checkpoint.

The company says that its InSight device can capture a high quality picture of an iris in less than two seconds making it ideal for use in airports where it will only take 5 percent of the time needed for a full body scan or a pat-down.

The technology has yet to be widely adopted in the United States, but the company said that it was recently selected to participate in a known traveler authentication and border clearance pilot program at two airports somewhere in the United States.

With the known traveller program, individuals must submit to an extensive background check and provide the government with their biometric information like iris and facial scans, which will then be verified at airport checkpoints in an effort to expedite the screening process.

“The travelling public is telling us that they would prefer a quick, accurate, and non-invasive biometric authentication process as an alternative to full body scans or pat-downs” said Joseph Pritikin, the director of product marketing at AOptix in a statement. “By securely processing registered travelers with minimal effort, our hope is that the TSA can spend more time on passengers who are unknown, and thereby pose a greater threat.”