War on Terror Goes Under Your Clothes

ByABC News
August 1, 2005, 2:36 PM

Aug. 2, 2005 — -- In the 1950s, young comic book readers were sold on advertisements for X-ray glasses, a novelty that did little more than provide an illusion which an adequately theatrical performer could exploit.

More than 50 years later, the security industry has developed their own version of X-ray vision -- one that actually works.

Using something called millimeter-wave technology and other cutting-edge tools, security professionals can literally see through clothes to spot anything that could be potentially dangerous.

But even in a world where many people fear being the victim of terrorism, does technology that can look under your undergarments cross the line?

The recent London terror attacks have prompted many to ask how we can effectively protect any transit system from terrorist attack.

"In this new sort of environment of security, the secret of success is constant vigilance -- being able to spot the anomaly in everyday life," said Neil Fisher, a vice president at QinetiQ, a British company that deals in defense technology and security solutions. "People are very bad at that, but technology is very good."

QinetiQ and other companies have been working with millimeter-wave technology for several years. Recently, they've started putting it in use in real-life situations.

QinetiQ's technology was used to scan soft-sided trucks and to look for people trying to illegally enter the United Kingdom at the country's ports. It's also been tried at airports in England, Europe and Canada. Fisher says his firm's machines have assisted in the apprehension of thousands of people trying to sneak through the French port of Calais.