The trend for the future will be to move the security scanners outside the airport terminal building and operate them in "stand-off mode" -- checking people from a distance before they even set foot inside.

And then, Onward! -- from airports to other venues!

QinetiQ -- owned 30 percent by private equity group Carlyle and 56 percent by the British government ...

Ooh, the Carlyle Group!

"There are always going to be issues of privacy here and they're not to be belittled, they're important." But he says smarter technology will actually make the checks less intrusive.

This guy has some reading to do. The Panopticon is especially insidious precisely because you can't tell if or when you're being watched. 'Unintrusiveness' breeds paranoia and opens the door to unchecked abuse. From the citizen's perspective, it is much preferable for the "minders" to be forthcoming about their security measures.

British Firm Breaks Ground in Surveillance Science