The new security system employs a special algorithm made of various mathematical equations to detect the emotional status of individuals
By Ayman Adly
Staff Reporter
A locally-developed Smart Security Investigator (SSI) system was unveiled yesterday by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to detect potential smugglers or travellers infected with epidemic diseases at Qatar’s entry points.
“The SSI is a valuable addition to the sophisticated security systems at airports,” the innovator, Captain Ali Hassan al-Rashid, from the Internal Security Force (ISF) or Lekhwiya, said yesterday.
He explained that he had been working on the new system for almost nine months. It employs a special algorithm made of various mathematical equations to detect the emotional status of individuals.
“It depends on detecting the changes in the size of the retina of the eye and thermal changes of the person who stands before the sensor of the system for a few seconds,” he said at a media briefing at Hamad International Airport (HIA).
“There are readings for normal persons and other indicators for persons with criminal conduct, which normally shows up in certain biological changes in the size of their retina or the temperature of their bodies. Such changes could be considerably different from those that display normal unrest, sickness or perplexity,” Captain al-Rashid stated.
The announcement about the new system came in the presence of Colonel Abdullah Khalifa al-Muftah, director of the MoI Public Relations Department, and Brigadier Issa Arrar al-Rumaihi, director of the Airport Security, besides a number of other MoI officers.
Brigadier al-Rumaihi stressed the importance of the new technology in enhancing security at HIA and other entry points to the country.
“The new system could identify suspicious travellers and speed up the clearance process, without unnecessary delays due to security related searches,” he observed.
Captain al-Rashid has received a patent from the Ministry of Economy and Commerce to protect the intellectual property of the new Qatari machine.
The system has been tested at hospitals and specialised health centres to review various cases of patients and how this would influence their temperature and size of the retina.
When the system identifies some person as a potential smuggler, carrying any banned materials, or suffering from an epidemic disease, a tip will be given automatically to the security personnel concerned to conduct a more thorough search of the person and luggage to confirm the doubts.
The new system could be used at hospitals during emergencies and at major sports events to detect any potentially dangerous individuals, said Captain al-Rashid.
“Since every security apparatus has its own limitations, further tests will be conducted on the SSI in co-operation with international security firms and institutes to fully develop the Qatari technology,” he added.
Captain al-Rashid is a technical officer who has a degree in engineering from Qatar University and a master’s from the University of Liverpool.
Captain al-Rashid explaining how the new SSI system works.
