Toby Breckon is a British imaging scientist, engineer, professor and a leading authority on algorithms for X-ray security screening as used globally in securing the world’s airports, borders and transportation systems. For nearly two decades, he has led research on algorithms for prohibited item detection, threat detection and in the lesser-known area of threat image projection.
Breckon graduated in Artificial Intelligence from Edinburgh (2002) and followed up with a PhD specialising in algorithms for 3D computer vision (2006). After a brief spell in the defence industry, he joined academia and began working with the UK Department of Transport on the challenges of applying 3D computer vision techniques to the complex task of airport X-ray security screening.
His work has informed both UK, EU and US aviation security policy and been at the forefront of enabling the introduction of new AI-based technologies into the global aviation security sector.
In the lessor known area of threat image projection (TIP) his team is credited with designing the first complete end-to-end solution for TIP within the new 3D computed tomography-based scanners that are now being adopted globally. This approach is now used by several major security scanner manufacturers, in numerous major international airports, and helps to secure over 500+ million passenger journeys per annum across five continents.
