People Could Soon Take Water Bottles on Planes Thanks to New Scanner

Though most people don't complain overmuch, having to do away with everything from water bottles to toothpaste while going on a plane can be frustrating.

Fortunately, Cobalt Light Systems has the solution: INSIGHT100.

This scanner, looking like an oversized microwave, uses Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) to detect if a bottle contains dangerous substances or not.

For the tech-savvy, certain spectra of light, basically lasers, are bounced off a substance depending on what molecules it is made of.

The European Civil Aviation Conference has already approved the INSIGHT100, meaning that it acknowledges its ability to find liquid explosives and whatever else.

Now it falls to airports to decide if they get one of these or not. Airlines and retailers may actually exhibit some disapproval, since traveler water bottles means less water sold on planes, but such is life.