<p>Developed by Steve Bradshaw, a screenprinter in Poynton in Britain, the special underwear and vests are covered with a special paint made from a mixture of metals and glass.<br /><br />Bradshaw, 54, claims the coating masks body parts but still allows operators to see dangerous objects such as guns, knives and explosives.<br /><br />He was inspired after being questioned by armed police and missing a flight when he refused to enter a 'naked scanner' at Manchester Airport earlier this year, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />Bradshaw said: "The machines operate at different wavelengths and the pants contain materials which react to radiation at different wavelengths,".<br /><br />"The paint contains barium sulphate, aluminium, ground glass and other materials.<br />"I have been 35 years in screen printing and I know about inks and what they are made from.</p>.<p>"I ended up making a coating which is a printable plastic ink. It reflects back and scatters the X-rays and is printed in a pattern.<br /><br />"Small cut-outs in the design allow a large metal object or gun to show up the operator's screen.<br /><br />"I believe it is a compromise because it diffuses the image, allowing dangerous items to be seen without showing graphic detail."<br /><br />Passengers are randomly selected to go through the X-ray scanners at several British airports. Under government legislation, anyone who refuses is turned away.<br /><br />Bradshaw, from Poynton near Stockport, is yet to test his underwear with a scanner but has written to the Department of Transport to seek approval.<br /><br />Professor Nick Bowring, an scanner expert at the Manchester University, believes Bradshaw's technology could work.<br /><br />He said: "Using a material to reflect X-rays and "blind" the back-scatter machine would be an effective way to prevent outlines of any body parts from being seen.<br /><br />"But the detection of the reflective material itself would be very easy and obvious. It would appear as a bright region on the image and people presenting with such areas would certainly be stopped and subject to a manual search."<br /><br /></p>
<p>Developed by Steve Bradshaw, a screenprinter in Poynton in Britain, the special underwear and vests are covered with a special paint made from a mixture of metals and glass.<br /><br />Bradshaw, 54, claims the coating masks body parts but still allows operators to see dangerous objects such as guns, knives and explosives.<br /><br />He was inspired after being questioned by armed police and missing a flight when he refused to enter a 'naked scanner' at Manchester Airport earlier this year, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />Bradshaw said: "The machines operate at different wavelengths and the pants contain materials which react to radiation at different wavelengths,".<br /><br />"The paint contains barium sulphate, aluminium, ground glass and other materials.<br />"I have been 35 years in screen printing and I know about inks and what they are made from.</p>.<p>"I ended up making a coating which is a printable plastic ink. It reflects back and scatters the X-rays and is printed in a pattern.<br /><br />"Small cut-outs in the design allow a large metal object or gun to show up the operator's screen.<br /><br />"I believe it is a compromise because it diffuses the image, allowing dangerous items to be seen without showing graphic detail."<br /><br />Passengers are randomly selected to go through the X-ray scanners at several British airports. Under government legislation, anyone who refuses is turned away.<br /><br />Bradshaw, from Poynton near Stockport, is yet to test his underwear with a scanner but has written to the Department of Transport to seek approval.<br /><br />Professor Nick Bowring, an scanner expert at the Manchester University, believes Bradshaw's technology could work.<br /><br />He said: "Using a material to reflect X-rays and "blind" the back-scatter machine would be an effective way to prevent outlines of any body parts from being seen.<br /><br />"But the detection of the reflective material itself would be very easy and obvious. It would appear as a bright region on the image and people presenting with such areas would certainly be stopped and subject to a manual search."<br /><br /></p>