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Recently, CAAC issued the "Internal Criteria for the Identification of Civil Aviation Millimeter Wave Human Body-Imaging Security Inspection Equipment" (hereinafter referred to as the "Standard") and the "Test Procedure for Civil Aviation Millimeter Wave Human Body-Imaging Security Inspection Equipment’s Detection Capability of Prohibited Articles" (hereinafter referred to as the "Program"). The official inclusion of Millimeter Wave Human Body-Imaging Security Inspection Equipment in the List of Civil Aviation Security Inspection Equipment has made China become the third country in the world and the first country in Asia to independently promulgate standards for millimeter wave human body imaging technology. In the future, millimeter wave human body imaging equipment will gradually replace the civilian airport's 26-year-old metal detection door and passengers will also experience safer and more efficient personal security screening services.

Millimeter wave human-body imaging technology is currently the advanced technology in the field of global security. It has been used in passenger security inspections at airports in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia and Japan, but only the United States and the European Union had technical standards for access. The device can effectively detect objects hiding in various parts of the human body under the cover of clothing without directly contacting the human body. Particularly, it can detect non-metallic objects and can obtain the shape, size, position of hidden objects and other information from the images. In addition, the millimeter wave human body-imaging equipment has the characteristics of being harmless to the human body and it has strong penetrating power. Its transmitting power is less than one thousandth of the electromagnetic radiation of the mobile phone, and can accurately identify the human body carrying articles, thereby effectively improving the accuracy of the inspection, reducing the labor intensity of the security inspectors and improving the efficiency of security inspection.

The "Standards" and "Procedures" innovatively introduced the new concept of security screening equipment technology grading and management grading: Based on the concept of technology grading, the equipment will be graded according to different key technical parameters; in terms of management grading concepts, the “Guidelines for the Use of Millimeter Wave Human Body-Imaging Security Inspection Equipment" are matched with the technical classification in the technical standards for access. Different operating modes, security inspection procedures, corresponding measures and risk warnings are standardized for equipments of different technical level.

In recent years, in order to better realize the application of new technologies, the Public Security Bureau of CAAC has actively explored the trial evaluation of new technologies on security inspection sites. In August 2017, the Public Security Bureau of CAAC organized and provided policy support for the on-site evaluation of millimeter wave human body-imaging devices in Beijing Capital Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Qingdao Liuting Airport. In May 2018, the Public Security Bureau of CAAC again conducted the popular pressure test of millimeter wave human body-imaging equipment at Nanjing Lukou International Airport and Qingdao Liuting International Airport, and further verified the efficiency of the equipment on the basis of ensuring safety. In the next step, CAAC will also carry out the new model and new policy research and pilots for “differential security inspections” striving to improve security, to continuously innovate the security inspection mode, to optimize the security inspection process, to improve the security inspection efficiency and to create better quality for passenger experience.

What is millimeter wave?

Millimeter waves not only penetrate common clothes, but also have no ionizing radiation relative to X-rays. It is a security screening technology that can be applied to human census. Compared with infrared light, the imaging result of millimeter wave in human body under clothes is better than that of infrared temperature imaging and the identification of dangerous goods is more accurate.

Is the new security equipment safe?

Millimeter wave human body-imaging security inspection equipment uses harmless low-power electromagnetic waves to scan the human body. The transmission frequency is about 10GHz to 100GHz, and the transmission power is less than 1 inch for an ordinary mobile phone, which is far lower than the current domestic and international standards for electromagnetic radiation standards. It is safe for all travelers including children and pregnant women.

Reprint from www.caac.gov.cn