Toward a virtual advanced technology imaging system

The JHU/APL-developed Virtual Advanced Imaging Technology (VAIT) models the electromagnetic reflections associated with current and future airport checkpoint scanners, producing images suited for studying threat detection phenomenology and detection algorithm training/testing. It employs an efficient GPU-based electromagnetic simulation engine that computes the field reflected by computer-modeled humans, clothing, and concealed threat items with proper material properties. Optimized image-reconstruction algorithms then use reflectivity data to render synthetic AIT images of similar quality as those produced by vendor AIT systems. The VAIT has been designed to emulate various AIT architectures, including traditional pose AIT systems and walkthrough systems.