Security detection company Integrated Defense and Security Solutions (IDSS) has introduced a smaller version of its Detect 1000 checkpoint computed tomography (CT) scanner aimed at airports and other facilities with size and layout limitations.
The reduced form factor (RFF)-CT Detect 1000S was developed with the help of the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s Screening at Speed program and is being showcased at the agency’s Innovation Checkpoint at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
The estimated domestic market for the RFF-CT is between 150 and 250 units and there is also a lot of interest in Europe as well, Jeffrey Hamel, president and CEO of IDSS, told Defense Daily last month. There is also interest for the compact CT systems for employee and vendor checkpoints at airports, he said.
In a recent visit to Europe, Hamel said the company spoke with two customers that are interested in the Detect 1000S for employee and vendor screening checkpoints because of the limited real estate they have in those locations.
So far in the U.S., TSA has purchased checkpoint CT systems from Analogic and Smiths Detection. The agency also has checkpoint CT systems from IDSS and Leidos [LDOS] in some airports for evaluations.
Like the Detect 1000, the 1000S meets TSA’s Advanced Passenger Security Screening Level 1 detection standard. However, the Detect 1000 is not on the agency’s qualified product list because it hasn’t met operational requirements, which are referred to as Checkpoint Property Screening System.
Hamel said that TSA will have to sort out the qualification process for the Detect 1000S given the “unique” nature of the product.
The new system is about nine-feet long, depending on the configuration, which is nearly three-feet shorter than the Detect 1000. Hamel said that further space savings come from only needing minimal divest and recomposure areas with the Detect 1000S versus the larger checkpoint CT systems.
Unlike the current checkpoint CT systems such as the Detect 1000, the RFF-CT system isn’t designed for large intake and divest areas given the fact that it is being offered for use at security checkpoints with low throughputs. The system can scan up to 100 bags per hour versus more than 400 bags with the Detect 1000. Both systems feature an automatic divert capability for bags that alarm.
Another important feature of the Detect 1000S is that it can be serviced from a single side, which means it can be put up against a wall or pole, allowing for better use of the checkpoint space. Hamel also said that the system would only require one or two operators, with the second person potentially helping out at the divert station while also manning a body scanner.