The Transportation Security Administration’s rule requiring an agent to verify that a passenger checking luggage is, in fact, the ticketed passenger has long stalled the idea of “self-bag drop” machines at US airports. However, thanks to recent advances in the technology from companies like Materna, these restrictions could eventually dissolve, especially when paired with biometric recognition of passengers.

Recently, Materna was contracted to install self-bag drop equipment at Denver International Airport (DEN), as part of the facilities $650 million renovation. Materna will install 40 self-bag drop kiosks in the newly revamped Great Hall at DEN, making it the world’s largest self-bag drop area. Materna’s self-bag drop technology allows passengers to place their bag on the conveyor belt, where a scanner will read baggage tags and verify luggage weight compliance. Future features could include the ability for passengers to pay for overweight/over-sized bags right at the self-bag drop machine. Time will tell if this technology will be safely embraced in the US, but Materna’s offering at DEN is a big step in that direction.

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