Researchers at the Transportation Security Administration have designed virtual reality technology to effectively pat-down a person without touching them directly, according to materials recently published online by the Department of Homeland Security.
The conceptual technology, known as a “wearable sensor for contactless physical assessment,” combines touchless sensors, cameras, and a haptic feedback pad with a virtual reality headset to “physically simulate” the “sensation” of a traditional screening. DHS has applied to patent the device, and 404 Media originally reported on the technology.
A description of the wearable device noted that the technology “can minimize potential harm when touching unsafe objects, preserve individual privacy during a security screening, or safely provide physical awareness for visually-impaired individuals.”
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In 2024, TSA screened 904 million passengers, according to the federal agency. An unknown number of those passengers received a pat-down, which the agency says is used to determine whether a passenger is concealing a prohibited item, like a firearm or knife.
Such screenings have gone viral online in the past, with passengers claiming they were subject to invasive, sexual, or otherwise inappropriate touching.
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The sensor system could use millimeter wave scanning, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), or backscatter X-ray technology in order to reveal items concealed by clothing. A handheld padded device containing those sensors would detect an individual’s “contours” to ultimately produce a map that would guide the user’s hand through haptic feedback.
According to 404 Media’s review of patent documents, the display of sensitive body parts will be limited to preserve privacy.
Yet 404 Media also spoke with an anonymous, skeptical privacy expert who questioned whether the technology is truly non-invasive.
“I guess the idea is that the person being searched doesn’t feel a thing, but the TSA officer can get all up in there?,” the expert told 404 Media. “The officer can feel it … and perhaps that’s even more invasive (or inappropriate)? All while also collecting a 3D rendering of your body.”
For now, the TSA still conducts its screenings the old-fashioned way — with millimeter wave imaging, walk-through metal detectors, and yes, often-dreaded pat-downs.
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![New ‘Gundam Wing’ ‘Visual Project’ in the Works
By the time Cartoon Network syndicated the 1995 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam Wing in the United States in the summer of 2000, the Gundam franchise was already hugely popular in Japan. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, however, was a watershed moment for the franchise in the West, introducing an entire generation of anime fans to Gundam specifically but also the mecha anime genre in general. It’s understandably something of a big deal to a lot of Western anime fans. But despite its massive influence, Gundam Wing had a relatively short run: just 49 episodes and four original video animations. There was a spate of manga adaptations in the ’90s, too, and a serial novel called Frozen Teardrop that ran from 2010 to 2015 in Gundam Ace, but for the most part, Gundam Wing has been content to let its legacy speak for itself. Until now, that is. During the spring 2026 Gundam Conference (via Comic Book), Bandai Namco announced that a new Gundam Wing “visual project” is in the works. When pressed for more details, Bandai Namco Filmworks producer Naohiro Ogata said, “I can’t say what the format is yet, but it is definitely something long.” The announcement on the official Gundam website is similarly light on details, but it’s still hugely exciting. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8NQa1WWic[/embed] Gundam Wing follows five teenage mech pilots sent to Earth to free their home space colonies from the oppression of the United Earth Sphere Alliance. It’s set in an alternate timeline from the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, which first aired in Japan in 1979. Alternate timelines are pretty common in the world of Gundam, so it’s possible that the new project could go that route, though it’d be hard to sell as a Wing series specifically rather than a separate Gundam series.
The new project could also simply pick up where the anime left off or follow the plot of Frozen Teardrop, which was essentially a sequel story. It could even be a prequel, for all we know. With so little information revealed, the possibilities are endless about what this new Gundam Wing could be. That’s not going to stop us from being unreasonably excited about it, though. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Gundam #Wing #Visual #Project #WorksGundam,Gundam Wing New ‘Gundam Wing’ ‘Visual Project’ in the Works
By the time Cartoon Network syndicated the 1995 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam Wing in the United States in the summer of 2000, the Gundam franchise was already hugely popular in Japan. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, however, was a watershed moment for the franchise in the West, introducing an entire generation of anime fans to Gundam specifically but also the mecha anime genre in general. It’s understandably something of a big deal to a lot of Western anime fans. But despite its massive influence, Gundam Wing had a relatively short run: just 49 episodes and four original video animations. There was a spate of manga adaptations in the ’90s, too, and a serial novel called Frozen Teardrop that ran from 2010 to 2015 in Gundam Ace, but for the most part, Gundam Wing has been content to let its legacy speak for itself. Until now, that is. During the spring 2026 Gundam Conference (via Comic Book), Bandai Namco announced that a new Gundam Wing “visual project” is in the works. When pressed for more details, Bandai Namco Filmworks producer Naohiro Ogata said, “I can’t say what the format is yet, but it is definitely something long.” The announcement on the official Gundam website is similarly light on details, but it’s still hugely exciting. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8NQa1WWic[/embed] Gundam Wing follows five teenage mech pilots sent to Earth to free their home space colonies from the oppression of the United Earth Sphere Alliance. It’s set in an alternate timeline from the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, which first aired in Japan in 1979. Alternate timelines are pretty common in the world of Gundam, so it’s possible that the new project could go that route, though it’d be hard to sell as a Wing series specifically rather than a separate Gundam series.
The new project could also simply pick up where the anime left off or follow the plot of Frozen Teardrop, which was essentially a sequel story. It could even be a prequel, for all we know. With so little information revealed, the possibilities are endless about what this new Gundam Wing could be. That’s not going to stop us from being unreasonably excited about it, though. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Gundam #Wing #Visual #Project #WorksGundam,Gundam Wing](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/05/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-Wing-1280x853.jpg)
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