First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

VR/AR Productivity

Speaker 1: And this is the part where you get scammed. So I have to do what this does. I don’t know, do we do this? Do we still do this? You already know about self shock outlines at the grocery store, but what about a self-service security lane at the airport? That’s the technology being worked on right now for your future flight. And we’re going to use virtual reality to get a glimpse at what that experience is like. Take a moment to look around the screening station. I’m inside the pod.

Speaker 2: Once inside the station, the doors close and an [00:00:30] avatar on a screen guides you through the self screening process

Speaker 3: Where normally now you might use two or three bins to get your carry on bag in your personal item and your jacket and anything else in your pockets. All of that will be able to be screened in a single step.

Speaker 1: Alright, and I guess my bag goes there, so I put my bag in there.

Speaker 2: If you have forgotten something in your pocket or left something on the floor, the avatar reminds you to place all items into the scanner. If

Speaker 3: You say, Hey, I see something in your pockets, you’re going to go, oh shoot, I left something [00:01:00] in my pockets. And you can self resolve and you don’t need to get a pat down. You don’t need to do any of those things because it’s a very straightforward part of the process. If it does end up getting to the point where maybe you have a medical device or maybe there’s something that can’t be resolved by the passenger themselves, that’s where we will have TSOs, transportation security officers supporting the booths so that they can resolve any issues that arise that the passengers are not able to self resolve.

Speaker 1: And this is the part where you get scammed.

Speaker 2: The avatar then asks you to turn and face the panel for passenger scanning.

Speaker 1: [00:01:30] All right, so then I get my stuff and I’m done.

Speaker 3: The one that you saw in VR is sort of our more forward-leaning approach. We also have a separate system that is currently being installed as a prototype in Las Vegas right now that looks more like a traditional lane, but it has a lot of those self-service aspects

Speaker 4: For the self-service screening system that’s installed today at the checkpoint we’re looking at in the next couple of months that will be live Micro X being the other vendor that is more the pod style, which I think you were able to see on the vr. They will be a little longer [00:02:00] of a lead time, and I think a lot of that is they truly are building prototype from the ground up. We are going to be doing surveys of the passengers that come through the system and we want honest feedback. That is what’s going to help us get to the right stage. So don’t hold back, tell us what you like, tell us what you don’t like. But we really do appreciate the feedback.

Speaker 1: This whole system right now is only for passengers who would be enrolled in free check. I had a lot of questions doing it, like what happens when there are families with children? What if you have a lot of stuff? [00:02:30] So these kinds of things are being worked out right now in the testing days. On the positive side, there could be less pat downs, but will it go faster? Will it save you time? I guess it depends on how much time every passenger takes because it’s only as fast as the passengers are and getting in, putting their stuff in and taking it out. So as this gets developed, I’m sure there’ll be ironing things out and seeing how people react to it. What do you think? Is this something that you would want to use to have more control of the whole process?