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The first non-stop security scanner for passengers is being tested at Frankfurt airport, which is operated by Fraport. Rohde & Schwarz's R&S QPS Walk2000 series security scanner is designed to speed up security checks. The scanner is currently being used for the first time in Hall A of Terminal 1. Passengers simply walk through the scanner without stopping. The test and evaluation phase, scheduled to last up to six months, will provide Fraport and Rohde & Schwarz with essential information for optimizing the system.
Operating over 360°, the scanner in the R&S QPS Walk2000 range ensures fast, non-contact detection of all kinds of objects. It offers a high level of comfort for passengers during the security screening process. Passengers don't have to stop as they pass through the scanner. They simply walk slowly through the R&S QPS Walk2000. The detection technology uses millimeter waves that penetrate several layers of clothing. Passengers no longer have to remove their jackets and coats. This represents a real advance in terms of comfort and privacy during security checks.
The detection software, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, automatically identifies all objects, both metallic and non-metallic. Any anomaly detected on a passenger is displayed in real time on screen via an asexual avatar. This limits the need for additional checks. If a check is necessary, however, security personnel can concentrate on the areas that triggered the alarm, rather than searching the passenger completely.
The evaluation of the R&S QPS Walk2000 security scanner at Frankfurt airport is being carried out jointly by the German Federal Police and Fraport. It is a further example of the excellent collaboration between Fraport and Rohde & Schwarz since Fraport took over the management of security controls at the airport. While Fraport was responsible for acquiring and installing the R&S QPS Walk2000 scanner, it was the German Federal Police who was responsible for all security-related testing. Ultimately, the police will be responsible for authorizing the use of the scanner for day-to-day control operations. The use of this scanner is designed to make security checks faster and more comfortable for passengers, while maintaining the same high level of security. The checkpoints selected for the test phase are located in Schengen hall A of terminal 1. This hall is ideally suited to this type of test, as it is very busy: 15,000 passengers use it on average every day.
The aim of the test phase at Frankfurt airport is to directly compare the performance of the R&S QPS Walk2000 scanner with that of the proven R&S QPS201 series of scanners already in use, and to immediately identify the differences. The aim of this collaborative test phase is to carry out security checks with the R&S QPS Walk2000 scanner as reliably as with the scanners in the R&S QPS201 range.
