The 5-second security check that spots more than just metal

As millions of passengers pass through airports, metro stations, and other high-security public spaces every day, the challenge for security agencies is no longer limited to detecting guns, bullets, or metallic weapons. Threats are increasingly taking newer forms—from plastic-based weapons and explosives to organic and gel-based materials that can evade conventional screening systems. Against this backdrop, Vehant Technologies, a deep-tech company incubated at IIT Delhi, has unveiled MilliView, which the company claims is India’s first indigenous Millimetre-Wave (MMWave) Body Scanner capable of detecting concealed non-metallic threats.

Founded in 2005 by Kapil Bardeja and Anoop G Prabhu, the Noida-headquartered company has emerged as one of India's leading indigenous security technology companies. Its solutions are currently deployed across over 115 airports, multiple transportation hubs, and over 80 smart cities. Notably, the company reported a revenue of around Rs 193 crore in FY26, reflecting its growing presence in India's security ecosystem.

The launch of MilliView, founders said, marks another milestone in the company's efforts to build advanced security technologies tailored to India’s evolving requirements. Designed, developed, and manufactured in India, the scanner is the outcome of nearly five years of research and development undertaken in collaboration with IIT Delhi. “MilliView is designed to bring a new generation of intelligent, nonintrusive screening capability to modern security ecosystems, where speed, accuracy, and passenger experience must work together,” Kapil Bardeja, Co-founder and CEO of Vehant Technologies, told The Economic Times Digital.




Detecting threats beyond metal
Most passenger screening systems deployed today rely heavily on metal detection technologies. While effective against conventional threats, they often have limitations in identifying non-metallic objects concealed on a person.

MilliView addresses this gap by using safe, non-ionising millimetre-wave technology combined with artificial intelligence-driven threat detection capabilities, said Vehant.

According to the company, the system can identify a wide range of prohibited items, including explosives, detonators, firearms, ammunition, flammable materials, sharp metallic objects, organic substances, and gel-based materials, while maintaining a seamless passenger screening experience.

Bardeja emphasised that the scanner has been designed to balance security effectiveness with operational efficiency. Unlike traditional screening procedures that may require additional checks, individuals only need to stand in a designated position while the system performs the scan.

“One of the biggest advantages of millimetre-wave technology is that it allows high-performance threat detection without creating friction for passengers. Individuals simply stand in a designated position while the system completes the screening process within seconds. The entire scan-to-decision process takes less than five seconds, allowing security personnel to make clearance decisions quickly and reducing congestion at checkpoints,” Bardeja said, adding that faster processing could become increasingly important as passenger traffic continues to rise across India’s airports and transport hubs.

According to the company, passenger privacy has also been incorporated into the system's design architecture. “The system does not generate or display anatomical images and instead highlights potential threat locations on a generic digital avatar. This ensures that operators receive actionable information while maintaining privacy standards and regulatory compliance,” Bardeja said, highlighting that the platform incorporates controlled access and data security safeguards for authorised personnel.

Built for India’s security environment
One of the key differentiators of MilliView, according to the company, is its India-centric design philosophy. “India is unique in terms of its security requirements. We cannot provide a western solution to an Indian problem,” Bardeja said.

Unlike many imported body scanners that are developed around international threat profiles, MilliView has been engineered to identify Indian Security Restricted Items (SRI) in configurations specified by Indian regulators. Its hardware architecture, software stack, and threat detection algorithms have been developed specifically for domestic operational requirements.

The indigenous platform offers several advantages beyond localisation. The scanner has been optimised to detect threat items relevant to Indian security agencies while also reducing maintenance requirements and deployment timelines, said Vehant. It also remains competitive with global alternatives in terms of performance and cost, claimed Bardeja.

MilliView has also been developed in compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) guidelines and has undergone testing and evaluation by Indian government authorities. The company said the system has met the required operational criteria and can be integrated with existing security infrastructure through its open-architecture design.

The launch came at a time when India is rapidly expanding its airport network, modernising transportation infrastructure, and increasing investments in critical infrastructure protection.

Looking ahead, the company plans to pursue European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) certification, a move that could support the international expansion of MilliView across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.