General Electric Co.
A Tickle of Air Finds Explosives
When you pause momentarily inside this short passageway, puffs of air tickle your skin, hair, and clothes. Compared to a pat-down by security people at airports or government buildings, it's a very gentle process -- but one effective enough to dislodge tiny particles of explosives or narcotics, if any are lurking on you.
This machine, developed by General Electric, then sucks in the air and analyzes it for traces of the chemicals found in almost all explosives. The entire procedure takes just seconds, one reason the Transportation Security Administration is deploying such portals at various airports.