Machines are learning to find concealed weapons in X-ray scans

EVERY day more than 8,000 containers flow through the Port of Rotterdam. But only a fraction are selected to pass through a giant x-ray machine to check for illicit contents. The machine, made by Rapiscan, an American firm, can capture images as the containers move along a track at 15kph (9.3mph). But it takes time for a human to inspect each scan for anything suspicious--and in particular for small metallic objects that might be weapons. To increase this inspection rate would require a small army of people.