TeraView imaging company, based at St John’s Innovation Centre, is working on the new machine.
The company needs £500,000 to develop a new kind of full body scanner which could begin testing in airports within 12 months.
The technology sidesteps concerns about passengers’ privacy being compromised.
Full body scanners, which show the ‘naked body’, are being introduced in a number of countries around the world following the Christmas Day attempt to bring down a plane flying to the US city of Detroit.
TeraView’s technology will scan for explosives by passing Terahertz light, which lies between radio and light waves in the electromagnetic spectrum, through them.
Dr Don Arnone, CEO of TeraView, said: "We are hopeful of securing the resources needed to develop a field deployable system. Body scanners have raised concerns about privacy but this will not be an issue with the TeraView system."
The company says it is in talks with the UK and US governments. And the system could slash those long security hold-ups because it can be fully automated, increasing the number of passengers which can be scanned and removing the need for a human operator.
The system has been proven to detect PETN, the explosive used in the failed attempt to blow up the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit and also by the ‘shoe bomber’ Richard Reid in 2001.
Dr Arnone said: "This is proven technology and we are hopeful of securing the resources needed to develop a field deployable system."
TeraView was established in 2001 and currently employs 23 people in Cambridge.
My Note: Interesting story. Teraview is privately held, and you can't at this point invest in it, (to my knowledge). Advanced Photonix, is a publically traded company symbol, API, and from my perspective as an investor in API, has a significant lead on Teraview, in the development of a viable airport scanner because of their hand-held scanners which are already developed.
This of course, is just my opinion and do your own due diligence.
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