Will prescription meds slow airline travel?

While it might be very difficult to detect benign chemicals that could make an explosive when mixed together, it is not nearly as difficult to detect traces of potentially dangerous ingredients on the fingers of individuals who recently have been in contact with them.

At New York's University at Buffalo's multidisciplinary Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors, researchers from several academic departments have proposed development of a biometric sensor that could detect such traces on the fingers of airline passengers. "An individual never can be absolutely certain that he or she has completely eliminated all traces of such chemicals from their skin," confirms Venu Govindaraju, director and professor of computer science and engineering.

Such a biometric sensor could be programmed to detect traces of certain dangerous chemicals, as well as those of legitimate pharmaceuticals whose only use is for prescription medications. The sensor could be programmed to detect numerous substances or chemicals simultaneously.

The device also could capture multiple modalities, such as fingerprints, palm prints, and hand geometry. Detection of legitimate chemical traces, such as pharmaceuticals, for instance, could trigger a request for proof of a prescription so that ordinary commerce and transportation would not be impacted significantly.

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