TSA Sets Up

TSA Sets Up 'Innovation Checkpoint' at Las Vegas Airport To Test Security Tech

Among the technology being tested at a TSA checkpoint in Vegas: computed tomography machines, credential authentication technology for faster ID checks and a new body scanner.

  • By Haley Samsel
  • Sep 06, 2019

The Las Vegas airport has become a “petri dish” for testing out new security technology from the TSA’s lab, including an enhanced body scanner and new credential authentication software aiming at speeding up ID checks.

In the basement of McCarran International Airport, the TSA has set up an “innovation checkpoint” aimed at testing new screening practices, USA TODAY reported. Agents screen only about 200 passengers an hour, as compared to the 1,200 passengers typically screened at other checkpoints, so that they can better understand the advantages and drawbacks of the newly developed technology.

The three main differences at the checkpoint include:

  • Laptops stay in the bag thanks to new computed tomography machines, which give 3D images of carry-on bags similar to cat scans. One machine allows agents to virtually life a laptop or other items out of a carry-on for closer inspection on the screen. Passengers still remove liquids from their bag in this scenario. The TSA is already planning to roll out about 300 CT machines for use in airports later this year.

  • Credential authentication technology (CAT) allows travelers to hand over their ID (without showing a boarding pass) to an officer, who inserts it into a machine. The machine verifies the ID, and through a connection to the TSA’s Secure Flight database, lets the officer know if you have TSA PreCheck and that you have a ticket to fly that day. According to USA TODAY, another CAT machine with a camera is equipped with facial recognition and takes photos at the checkpoint to match with the passenger’s ID. That machine is being tested at a regular TSA lane at the airport.

  • Faster trips through body scanners are what the TSA is aiming for with its Rohde & Schwarz body scanner that uses millimeter wave radio frequency technology. Passengers hear a beep when the image is taken rather than a whirring sound that is typically heard with the current scanners.

All machines and technology have already been approved by the TSA, according to Jose Bonilla, the director of the TSA’s Innovation Task Force. He told USA TODAY that the current testing is part of the certification process before the machines are rolled out to other airports.

"We're not just focusing on the next shiny hardware,” Bonilla said. “We're focusing on processes. We're focusing on effectiveness, efficiency and utilizing those passengers that travel through those areas to give us feedback.''

Right now, the checkpoint in the basement of Terminal 3 is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday. United Airlines passengers traveling during those times are sent to the checkpoint and notified about it a day before their flight. Passengers can choose to go through the main security checkpoint if they prefer, according to a spokesperson.

It’s yet to be determined if all of the technology being tested in Vegas, which was selected due for the airport’s large size and variety of business and vacation travelers, will be implemented at airports across the U.S. The 3D bag scanners will come to cities later this year, but the future of the rest of the tech depends on test results and the accuracy of its security findings, according to the TSA.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.