US embraces Australian solution to airport security queues

Self-service security checkpoints meant to reduce queuing, designed by Adelaide-based Micro-X, are set to be tested at a US airport.

Australian-designed self-service security checkpoints are set to be tested on passengers at a US airport.

An Australian technology company has taken a step closer to having its solution to airport security queues rolled out in the US.

Micro-X shares surged on the back of the announcement the Adelaide-based company had extended its contract with the US Department of Homeland Security, in a deal worth up to $21m.

Under the agreement, Micro-X will test its innovative security modules at a US airport with travelling passengers.

Inspired by self-service check-outs at supermarkets, the security modules provide a “one-stop” security check to help airports increase throughput and improve the passenger experience.

Using Micro-X’s miniaturised carbon nanotube technology, travellers could have their ID checked, luggage X-rayed and body scanned, all in the one place.

Low-level security breaches such as water bottles in bags or keys in pockets could be resolved by the passengers themselves, while higher-level anomalies would require a security officer response.

The provision of six self-checking stations in each module means the security checkpoint becomes a “six-lane highway”, significantly speeding up the process from the conveyor belt system currently used.

Inside a Micro-X self-service airport security checkpoint, set to be tested on passengers in the US.

The US Department of Homeland Securty (DHS) first signed up Micro-X in 2020 for two prototype baggage scanners, and then struck a second deal for the self-screening security checkpoint.

With the design phase of the project completed last month, Micro-X CEO and chief scientist Brian Gonzalez said they were now ready to take the next step.

“This contract extension fully funds us to build and test the design of a self-screening checkpoint in real airports, demonstrating the improvements and refining the design with real passenger and operator input,” Dr Gonzales said.

Although it is hoped Australian airports might eventually follow suit, Dr Gonzales said the US is an ideal testing ground, due to the fact the government is both the regulator of airport security and the customer.

“The partnership we have formed with the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration enables us to combine input from both the end-customer and the safety regulator to deliver a design that completely re-imagines security screening but is also grounded in the reality of airport operations and regulations,” he said.

In response to Monday’s announcement, shares in Micro-X jumped from 10.5 cents to 13 cents on the ASX, a six-month high for the company.

Originally published as US embraces Australian solution to airport security queues