Fewer wands, fever checks and AI: US startup reimagines venue security

A woman walks through a XonarSafe system created by Xonar Technology at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. The system uses ultra-wideband radar to detect items on a person, and thermal cameras to take their temperature. — TNS

CLEARWATER, Florida: Jim Ellis entered Ruth Eckerd Hall without emptying his pockets. He didn’t have to. When he stepped through a paddock-like security gate, a little blue circle lit up, prompting a guard to ask what was in his left pocket.

“Just car keys and some cash,” said Ellis, a Maryland resident who was there to watch a concert with some Pinellas County friends. The guard gave him a quick wand and sent him on with a smile.