Europe Hopes to Thwart Terrorists With a High-Tech Aircraft That Snoops

None of the systems is more controversial than the onboard video and audio sensors designed to detect erratic or suspicious behavior. Some critics argue that the systems could be prone to false alarms or prove unrealistic for commercial use.

Researchers at Britain's BAE Systems are attempting to compile a database of algorithms to allow computers to differentiate between the "micro-expressions" and facial tics of a person nervous about flying and a person nervous because he's about to detonate a bomb.

Researchers at the University of Reading in England, meanwhile, are working on the system that would quickly analyze such data and deliver it to the crew and the pilot. "Airlines are afraid of this product," Gaultier said. "They have to face marketing it to passengers."

As to whether this technology can be perfected to operate as envisioned, Gaultier said: "We're just getting started. It needs a lot more research."

Gaultier said crew members would not monitor actual videos but would respond to computer-generated signals warning of a potential problem in a specific seat or other location. He said the video images could be destroyed at the end of each flight.

As for other intrusions, "No video in the toilet," he said, "though they would have microphones in the toilet." The monitoring devices could also be used for detecting drunken or other unruly passengers, he said.

Gaultier's company, Sagem Défense Sécurité, is developing technology to improve security in communications between pilots and control towers and to prevent cyber hacking into airplane systems, especially when commercial aircraft begin introducing onboard Internet services.

Another French company, Thales Avionics, is testing a new collision-avoidance system that would build on existing short-range systems that warn a pilot when a plane is in imminent danger of crashing. The new system could be programmed to avoid not only dangerous terrain such as mountains, but tall buildings or cities hosting vulnerable events such as the Olympics or political summits.

Gaultier refers to the system as "never again the twin towers." He added, however, that "pilots will think that's an intrusion" because the system would take control out of their hands in the event of a hijacking or other emergency and allow the aircraft's computer system to guide the plane.

Other pieces of the SAFEE system would detect gases from a bomb being assembled on a plane and use laser beams to detect potentially dangerous chemicals that had evaded airport security checks.

But even with the new protections, Gaultier acknowledged, the system cannot guarantee an end to terrorist attacks. "Security level zero never exists," he said. "It's crazy to say, 'I have a system that provides 100 percent security.' "