What if you didn’t have to take your shoes off for TSA? This is the question that was posed at this year’s CES trade show. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association, it’s the largest trade show for some of the most exciting new tech. To that end, one of the biggest highlights has to be a machine that aims to allow passengers to go through airport security without removing their shoes.
Videos by InspireMore
The process is simple. Passengers would simply place their feet on a machine that would scan them. Based on what the scanner picks up, TSA will be given a green or red light. If something seems off with your shoes, the light will turn red, prompting TSA to investigate further. But in order for this machine to work correctly, lots of different shoe types need to be scanned. In any case, the CES trade show was full of curious folks happy to lend a hand — or should I say foot!
@cnetdotcom We found the TSA here at CES and let them scan our feet, for safety of course 👀, with their new shoe scanner. The point of this is so you won't have to be bothered by taking off your shoes when going to the airport for a flight. #tsa #ces2025 #ces #airporttech #safetytech #millimeterwavetechnology #scanner ♬ original sound – CNET
In the above video, journalist Bridget Carey tries to challenge the scanner. She does this by hiding a dental floss pick, gummy worm, mustard packet, and plastic knife inside her shoes. While this most definitely confused the machine, it did recognize that something unusual was going on.
Emerging Technology Aims to Help Passengers Keep Their Shoes On When Going Through Airport Security
If you’ve ever been through airport security, you know it can be quite a hassle. So, if this technology actually does make it into airports one day, that would be one less hurdle for passengers to face. According to Brian Lewis of the Department of Homeland Security, this is something many people will be relieved to hear.
“As we’re moving towards trying to get to a more seamless travel experience, we know that something the traveling public would like [is to] no longer have to take their shoes off,” Brian says. “So bringing this technology to passengers is something that we think they’ll be really excited about.”
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