Because the nude-o-scope just isn't invasive enough, or enough of a health hazard, some enterprising Ph.D.'s in Ohio are pitching the spooks on this Next Big Thing.
http://www.wright.edu/cgi-bin/cm/new...s_item&id=1803
[...] the scientist wondered[...] what if there was a way to recognize terrorists in disguise at airports or U.S. ports of entry?
The answer came quickly enough—skeletons. Virtually every person has a unique skeletal structure nearly impossible to alter.
[...]
X-rays, gamma rays or other forms of body scanning would be used to create a bone signature for each person. Wright State researchers are currently working on identifying key elements and measurements of the skeleton that differentiate one person from another.
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Ryan Fendley, the research institute’s director of operations and strategic initiatives, said scanners could be used wherever there is a controlled point of entry.
“It could go anywhere,” he said. “It could be in every airport. You could put it in a hotel if it gets down to the right scale and cost.”
The scanners could even be used as security devices for the government or private companies, ensuring that only authorized workers could gain access to important facilities or rooms.
“Right now we do that with badges,” Skipper said. “Badges can be lost or stolen or forged.”
Candidate sensors in the scanners require people to be within about six feet of the equipment. A scan would likely take about five seconds, and a match could be found within another 10 seconds, Kidambi said.
“That’s our biggest challenge—to accurately acquire bone signatures at a distance,” said Skipper, adding that federal officials would like to see accurate skeleton recognition from 50 meters.” “If we had that problem solved, we’d be in market right now.”
Unlike full-body airport scanners that see through clothing and expose personal body features, skeletal scanners would look beneath the skin’s surface. Depending on the selected technology, a skeletal scan would only expose a person to radiation that is the approximate equivalent of taking one cross-country airline flight.
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Wright State submitted its idea to the Intelligence Advanced Research Project Activity, a U.S. research agency formed to meet important technical challenges faced by the intelligence community. Of the 500 research teams that submitted proposals, Wright State was among the dozen invited to discuss their ideas at an IARPA conference in Washington D.C.
“It was quickly determined that our approach was by far the most novel,” Fendley said. “If you look at the other participants at that conference, several have expressed interest in partnering with us.”