New Scanning Device Can Spot Shoe Bomb In Seconds

Taking off your shoes at airport security isn’t fun and you’ll have to blame triacetone triperoxide (TATP) for that, a hard-to-detect explosive used in shoe bombs. A new system has been developed by the researchers over at the University of Illinois that is inexpensive and can detect traces of TATP in seconds and is about the size of a postage stamp. The scanner apparently won’t be confused by hygienic products or similar items either. The bad news is that you’ll still need to take off your shoes, but hopefully it will be less troublesome in the future.