It is an understatement to say that airport security has been heightened since the dreadful events of Sept. 11. Though security has been increased, the aviation industry is still looking into any options that might be used in increasing security. Talks of using a five hour, 400-checkpoint process to armed guards in airports becomes reminiscent of Hitler’s Gestapo.

The aviation industry has realized that while sufficient security is a priority, convenience to the customer is also a high priority. Airlines are increasingly worried about losing passengers. They feel that certain security measures will decrease the already low number of passengers.

I would like to introduce you to face recognition technology. Face recognition software works by scanning your face, unbeknownst to you, for 80 “landmarks” on the human face. These landmarks include the bridge of the nose, size of your mouth and angles of your check bones to name a few. Face recognition only needs 14-20 of these landmarks to digitize a face print which can than be compared to a database of pictures. Since the technology deals in bone structure, beards and wigs can not fool the software.

Some airports have already tested the technology in Iceland and it could be only a matter of time before airports in the United States implement this software. Not all criminals (and thus terrorists) have their fingerprints taken, but they may have their photograph taken.

This is wonderful. It scans your face, checks it with the FBI’s 10,000 most wanted, and Buzamoo! Alarms and cowbells sound the alarm.

What happens if you are a baddie and your picture is not documented? Seems like someone has a free lunch. We need to take this technology one step further. Remember the movie “Total Recall?” It is about an ordinary citizen (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who discovers that aliens placed breathing machines on Mars. Anyway, there is a scene in the movie where Arnie tries to get through an airport with a gun. He passes by an X-ray screen that scans your entire body for weapons. Airports need something like that.

Of course they would first have to get by the whole problem of radiation. Maybe they can talk to the screen writers of “Total Recall” to see how it is done.

Think of the possibilities. Armed security personnel stand behind a screen that scans your entire body for box cutters, rifles, grenades, anything. Nothing would go undetected. Of course, we have to ignore the fact that in “Total Recall,” Arnie busted through the screen, shot up the airport personnel, and crushed some skulls.

I do not think that normal people could do that. Do not worry about all that death either, Arnie was really dreaming the whole thing up, hence the title “Recall.” Unless the movie was a documentary, but I doubt that too.

I am sure everyone is thinking the same thing: This technology sounds great.

But isn’t it a little too high-tech and nothing more than a dream? I can see that everyone is still bothered by that whole radiation thing. Or maybe you think that the face recognition technology is sufficient for now.

You are probably right.

However, it would only be a matter of time before someone figures out how to fake bone structure. Let’s list out the problems with our ideas for the new technologies: a) not every human being has their picture taken, b) X-ray screens would be extremely expensive, c) these screens (as currently constructed) would zap people with radiation and d) these screens have proven they cannot hold a determined Arnie.

We were so close. We almost had a solution to the airport security problem.

Maybe we are limiting ourselves. We should broaden our scope of thinking. After all, we don’t want to be too liberal. Here is an idea that’s great. Since we are now able to clone human beings (and only the Pope seems to disagree with this, so we should be fine) we could clone hundreds of Arnies – armies of Arnold Schwarzeneggers to populate our airports to provide security. If anyone suspicious enters the airports such as terrorists, thieves, politicians or that troublesome uncle, the Arnies could use their brute strength and crush these suspicious people’s skulls. Pretty soon everyone would be a saint at the airport.

The technology seems right around the corner to allow airports to heighten security and still keep the customers happy. Maybe we cannot have radiation-zapping screens or use the Gestapo, but we are close to outlawing criminal danger on our airlines. And if not, we can always use Arnies that have been bench-pressing Buicks for weeks now who are hungry for some skull crushing action.

Jason Bruen is a senior in engineering operations from Lake Bluff, IL.