[alanho]

you can even bring your own bottled drinks/liquid on Japan domestic flights. they have a machine specifically for "scanning" drink/liquid. put your bottle on it, green light, then off you go. not sure how it works

[easytiger]

Something like:

    num_checks += 1                                                                                                                                                                                         
    if num_checks % 200000 == 0:                                                                                                                                                                            
        red_light()                                                                                                                                                                                         
    else:                                                                                                                                                                                                   
        green_light()

[kissickas]

There's a UK company in talks with the DoD on rolling these out for military use, and I'm sure they will expand to civilian airports eventually. I'm not sure if this is the same company, but they're doing the same thing: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/02/scanner-anal...

[goodcanadian]

Almost certainly a spectral analyzer. Shine a light through it, see what the chemical signature is.

[colanderman]

That certainly won't work for my aluminum water bottle. Granted, neither do X-rays, and yet I've never had it even questioned going through security.

[goodcanadian]

Yes, I was assuming a typical disposable transparent plastic or glass bottle. I have not seen the machine in question, so I am guessing, but it would be very easy to implement and cover the majority of cases.

[rwmj]

I think we're assuming here that this machine isn't merely security theatre.