INTOS, one of the biggest interior specialists in the Netherlands, has collaborated with Stage Gate 11 (SG11), a startup in technology product development for the security industry, to create the Delta R Shoescanner. This is technology that airports can use to detect if passengers have hidden dangerous or contraband items within their footwear. It uses UV reflection to detect traces of substances, comparing the emitted beam of light with the reflected one as it bounces off the surface.
The scanner can be used as passengers pass through security, without the need for them to remove their shoes. As all substances have their own unique pattern, the system will detect the presence of explosives or narcotics automatically.
Jan-Willem Spanjaart, INTOS business development manager, said, “INTOS is continuously involved in innovation that influences our markets, including airports. Based on our reputation and a fascination for UV-scan technology, we were invited to collaborate on the development of the Shoescanner. Starting with the idea, INTOS advised SG11 about the design, material, sustainability and possibilities for maintenance.
“The resulting standalone column that now is the Shoescanner is manufactured entirely in-house. The technology is suitable for many different applications, like parcel scanning. Hopefully INTOS will be invited to contribute in the following product developments.”
Michiel Poppinki, joint owner, SG11, added, “We have the technology and application possibilities. But we really needed INTOS, as a knowledge partner, to design the Shoescanner. Their years of experience at Schiphol and other international airports meant that INTOS knew exactly which requirements a product had to meet for optimum performance in an airport. All this led to the perfect transformation of our ideas into an aesthetic concept and ultimately a functional product.”
Written by Chris Anderson
