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TwitThisRemarkable Innovations
We've always been a nation of inventors, and when called to serve, American innovators have often clinched our triumphs. Think of the Manhattan Project or our conquest of space after Sputnik. Now we need our brightest minds to defend us against terrorists, and they're responding with technology that verges on fantasy. Think of James Bond, or perhaps Mission: Impossible.There are scanners available right now that can check fingerprints as easily as the product codes on groceries. Others can measure distances between parts of your face -- say, your nose to your chin -- and create unique facial maps. Those prints and maps could be checked against a database to nab terrorists on the spot.
You've probably heard talk of electronic identity cards that could encode anything from a person's fingerprints to the pattern of his retina. The airlines want them, and they're not alone. Since our new detection systems will rely on rock-solid databases, these "smart cards" are a logical cornerstone.
Some of the inventions coming our way will be relatively cheap and broadly available, maybe running into the thousands of dollars. Others rely on complicated technologies that could cost a million or more.
The best news is that these high-tech weapons won't just deter terrorists. Count on them to become critical tools in fighting crime of every sort for years to come.
Here, then, are some of the more remarkable innovations, along with the threats they may one day thwart:
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