Future security screening systems will be based on so-called terahertz technology that can see weapons and explosives hidden under people’s clothes. But using it would allow security staff to see the people they are scanning as if they were naked.

TeraView in Cambridge, UK, says the solution is to use the terahertz radiation in a different way. Instead of producing images, the detection system would picks up the telltale frequencies that explosives or metallic objects reflect and absorb when terahertz waves hit them.

Another advantage is that if a security staff person is continuously watching a screen, his concentration can drift, missing vital clues, but the automated detection system will always stay alert.

The company believes the technology should land in airports within two years.

All the details in New Scientist.