This Laser Scanner Could Let You Fly With Bottles Again [Air Travel]

This Laser Scanner Could Let You Fly With Bottles Again-->Clear notifications ×ProfileLogoutLoginGizmodoTop StoriesTraditionalEntire page scrollsBlog viewListing of stories by dateMonday, Jan 23, 2012Latest StoriesLatest StoriesMost PopularMost Commentedair travel flyingsecurityairportsCobalt Insight100By Andrew LiszewskiView ProfileTwitterGoogle PlusRssJan 21, 2012 10:00 AM24,43295ShareFacebookTwitterStumbleUponTumblrInstapaperEmail this post#subscribeRect {width: 300px;height: 125px;clear: both;float: none;position: relative;margin-bottom: 1em;-webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 6px;-webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 6px;-moz-border-radius-bottomright: 6px;-moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 6px;border-bottom-right-radius: 6px;border-bottom-left-radius: 6px;}#subscribeRect .top {height: 63px;position: relative;-webkit-border-top-left-radius: 6px;-webkit-border-top-right-radius: 6px;-moz-border-radius-topleft: 6px;-moz-border-radius-topright: 6px;border-top-left-radius: 6px;border-top-right-radius: 6px;}#subscribeRect .top .logo {margin-top: 1em;}#subscribeRect ul.interface {display: block;width: 99px;position: absolute;top: 35px;right: 10px;}#subscribeRect ul.interface li {display: block;float: left;width: 33px;text-align: center;text-transform: uppercase;font-weight: bold;}.ie7 #subscribeRect ul.interface,.ie7 #subscribeRect ul.interface li {display: block;float: left;}.ie7 #subscribeRect ul.interface{position: static;}#subscribeRect ul.interface li {color: #474956;text-decoration: none;cursor: pointer;padding-top: 24px;opacity: .75;transition: opacity .2s ease-in;-moz-transition: opacity .2s ease-in;-webkit-transition: opacity .2s ease-in;}#subscribeRect ul.interface li:hover { opacity: 1; 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After terrorists tried to fly with liquid explosives back in 2006, air travelers have been limited to bringing only small bottles onto planes. But that inconvenience could soon be gone if Cobalt's new laser scanners start appearing at airport security checkpoints.

While equipment that can determine exactly what materials are inside a bottle have existed for years, they're not exactly fast. And using them to analyze every single bottle that passes through airport security would create even more delays. But Cobalt's new Insight100 scanner uses near-infrared lasers and a technique called spatially offset raman spectroscopy to size up a bottle's contents in just five seconds.

Basically a laser is fired into the liquid, gel, or powder contents of a container, and the light that bounces back is measured for shifts in its wavelength. Since every chemical creates a unique shift, the Insight100 can accurately determine the contents of a bottle or container, with just 0.5 percent false positives. It was recently approved by European flight safety agencies, and I'm hoping Cobalt will soon market it to airports over here soon so I don't have to spend $4 for a bottle of water once I've passed security. [Cobalt via NewScientist]

Contact Andrew Liszewski:CommentTwitterRelated StoriesTSA Is Very Sorry They Strip Searched Two Old LadiesJezebelThe Best Tech-Friendly Airports and AirlinesLifehackerConsult This Airline Scorecard Before Choosing Your Next FlightLifehackerYour version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

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