Detecting Hijackers By Seat Of The Pants
Britain’s Ministry of Defense is designing an airline seat that will monitor the behavior of the passenger using it, in order to determine if any terrorist activity is occurring.
The seat will employ several pressure sensors to keep an eye on the passenger’s movement. A computer will notify the airplane’s crew to any person who appears suspicious.
Qinetiq, the company devising the seat, says it may eventually add more sensors that will monitor such things as body temperature and skin moistness in order to help the computer determine if the seat’s occupant is dangerous.
Additional advantages are that the seat could flash a light to alert flight attendants that the passenger has been sitting in one position for an excessive amount of time, which could result in blood clots.
Separately, the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a contract to the University of California at San Diego’s Computer Vision and Robotics Research Laboratory for a digital video array, in which connected cameras recognize individuals who stand out and follow their movements.
The idea behind the array is that the cameras, which are linked to computers, would seek out suspicious behavior. The computer would then contact a live operator.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Washington Times (06/19/03) P. C8; Reed, Fred.