In these days of having to pay extra to check a bag (remember when that was included?), there are so many inconveniences to carrying on. I can’t bring my favorite perfume because there is no container small enough. I have to dump out my reusable water bottle and risk using the sketchy water fountains in the airport, or spend $20 on an overpriced, environmentally un-friendly bottle to stay hydrated.  You have to bring about 20 travel size lotions to really be able to keep properly moisturized for more than a day’s trip. And, I recently had an artisanal fig and cinnamon jam confiscated by security because they probably thought it looked delicious, and apparently pastes/gels fall under that pesky 3oz restriction. But maybe not for long!

There is a new machine in the works that would end the ban on gels, aerosols and liquids in carry-ons. It would be able to identify and catalog the type of liquid, aerosol or gel to separate out what’s safe (e.g., baby food), and what’s potentially deadly (e.g., homemade bomb), by using ultrasound and radio pulses to determine the material’s chemical properties and compare them to database of items deemed harmful. I, for one, and VERY excited.