Horrifying reality of what airport X-ray scanners could see as man shares warning after going through with erection

After a man went viral on Reddit for revealing what happened to him after he went through airport security with an erection, people are thinking back to the controversial Rapiscan scanners which were rolled out in the UK in 2013.

Going through airport security can be a truly stressful experience, as thoughts whizz through your head of rogue liquids in your bag that you may have missed or a random luggage search.

There’s also the issue of bringing things back from your trip and panicking about whether your liquids are below the 100ml mark, even though the rules for the liquid limit has become a thing of the past in many areas.

However, what X-ray scanners at the airport can now see has totally changed after immense backlash over previous scanning models.

Airport security was controversial (Getty Stock Images)

What are the Rapiscan scanners and what could they see?

Previously, many airports rolled out something called Rapiscan scanners after a man concealing explosives was able to be cleared through the old X-ray machine.

On Christmas Day in 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to bomb a plane after concealing plastic explosives in his boxers on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Thankfully, passengers subdued him and the attack failed, leaving Abdulmutallab, who had connections to Al-Qaeda, to be sentenced in 2012 to multiple life sentences without parole.

This incident brought in Rapiscan’s full frontal scanners which cost $180,000 each, and they were then rolled out to the US and in the UK in 2013.

But they didn't last very long. Why? Because they could see everything.

The Rapiscan scanners controversy

The Rapiscan scanners were basically one camera stream away from being an OnlyFans account, displaying a full 'nude' X-ray of each passenger who unknowingly stepped inside.

The could see everything... (X)

Just months later, TSA had to remove the scanners because people were horrified that their bodies could be seen in all their naked glory.

According to TSA at the time: "Due to its inability to deploy non-imaging Automated Target Recognition (ATR) software by the Congressionally mandated June 2013 deadline, TSA has terminated part of its contract with Rapiscan.

"By June 2013 travellers will only see machines which have ATR that allow for faster throughput."

What replaced the Rapiscan scanners and what can they see?

Now, the UK has been seeing the rollout of Next Generation Security Checkpoints (NGSC), which will be installed nationwide, allowing us some privacy and doing away with the dreaded 100ml liquids rule.

Thankfully the scanners were changed (Joern Pollex/Getty Images)

Thankfully, they aren’t anything like the Rapiscan scanners as the NGSC scanners can see the essentials only.

The new scanners also allow passengers to keep 100ml liquids and electronics like laptops in their hand luggage during the security screening process so it’s less of a hassle.

As 1 June 2024, Aberdeen, London City, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Southend and Teesside airports are equipped with the NGSC scanners.

As per Gov.uk, the scanners were first announced in 2018 and are able to ‘detect prohibited items with greater accuracy’, so that passengers don’t have to take items out of their hand luggage and pop them on the trays.

Prohibited items include batteries, caustic materials, flammable or explosive substances and more.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: “These cutting-edge scanners will make air travel safer and easier for passengers by strengthening security even further.

“The UK is leading the world with its roll-out of this technology, but it’s important we give those airports yet to meet the deadline a second chance to get the job done. Until they do, passengers should continue to check before travelling.”

Now, x-rays see only what they need to (Getty Stock Images)

Man’s 'humiliating' erection airport security experience

While the Rapiscan scanners might not be a thing anymore, it didn't stop one bloke having a 'humiliating' experience while going through airport security.

That’s because the 26-year-old unnamed man claimed he had been patted down after the scanner noticed something off with his imaging.

He explained that he was saying goodbye to his long-distance girlfriend and got an erection.

Taking to Reddit, the man wrote: "This is not a joke, Im trying to warn other dudes if they are ever in this situation. This happened to me yesterday, Tuesday morning at the Reno-Tahoe security. I had flown to visit my girlfriend and when she dropped me off we were kissing making out you know in her car before I left.

"I had a SLIGHT chub still, dudes know what I mean by this. I was scared, it was going away but too slowly, of course the one time there is no line.

"I put my hands up and did the scanner, I look at the screen, and THERE IS A HUGE RED CIRCLE around my private area. I got pat down once, this is common at airports, I have a subcutaneous defibrillator in my chest but he went to my legs."

A supervisor was then brought in to 'pat him down again', where he added: "I said lowly 'I was just with my girl my bad man' and he said you're good to go.

"It was the most humiliating experience I have ever had in my life, I thank God I will never see those guys again (they were good dudes) and pray no cameras were recording me or anything."