Achieving some sort of balance between airport security and long, frustrating queues for travellers is an ongoing challenge for airports.
So, some clever minds from Hitachi, the University of Yamanashi and the Nippon Signal Co have got together to develop a boarding gate that can detect explosives.
The prototype technology, which is to be demonstrated at the Special Equipment Exhibition & Conference for Anti-Terrorism in Tokyo next week, means passengers can be scanned just before boarding.
The machine can detect particles that may have attached themselves to IC cards or portable devices used as boarding passes and simultaneously scan passengers too.
In the past the issue has been trying to scan hundreds of travellers quickly immediately prior to boarding but with this development the process only takes a couple of seconds and has the capability of inspecting 1,200 passenger per hour.
The technology can also be adapted for train stations, stadiums and other venues where high volumes of people pass through.
Pilot tests are planned for public transport facilities next year but for anyone interested in spectrometry and how it all works, there's more here.
NB: Airport gate image via Shutterstock