London Underground taps passenger-screening tech to detect knives

A London Underground station will begin testing passenger screening technology aimed at detecting concealed knives. Thruvision, provider of people-screening solutions, announced that its units will be deployed at Stratford Underground Station in East London for a five-day trial — part of a British Government effort to eliminate knife crime, according to the company.

Thruvision’s passive terahertz technology is already vetted and approved by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and is in operation with Los Angeles Metro. Other railway station trials have been completed in New York and Washington DC.

Thruvision’s specialized technology will enable British Transport Police officers to identify concealed knives, without interfering with travel flow, eliminating the need for physical searches or pat-downs. Thruvision technology works by showing the size, shape and location of any concealed items that block a person’s body heat.

Thruvision is completely safe, respectful and non-intrusive, according to the company. It does not show any intimate body parts and it is impossible to tell an individual’s identity, gender, age or ethnicity from the images it produces.