Australia's Department of Infrastructure to Test AS&E's SmartCheck(TM) Personnel Screening System at Sydney International Airport

BILLERICA, Mass. - October 16, 2008 - American Science and Engineering, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASEI) (AS&E®), a leader in X-ray detection technology, announced today that it has been selected by Australia's Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (Department of Infrastructure) to pilot test the SmartCheckâ„¢ Personnel Screening System at Sydney International Airport. AS&E's SmartCheck provides optimum security by safely screening for a wide variety of threats concealed on a passenger, while ensuring their privacy. The SmartCheck system creates an image that looks like a chalk outline of the passenger with threats and contraband outlined, but does not reveal facial features or anatomical detail. Additionally, the SmartCheck system installed at Sydney International Airport cannot store, export, print, or transmit images.

"We are pleased that the Department of Infrastructure will begin to operate AS&E's privacy enhanced SmartCheck this month," said Anthony Fabiano, CEO of AS&E. "SmartCheck is a safe, non-intrusive, and highly effective way to detect plastic and liquid explosives, weapons, and other contraband while ensuring travelers' privacy. In trials conducted by the Transportation Security Administration, they found that 90% of passengers have opted for screening rather than undergoing an intrusive pat-down by a security official. We believe SmartCheck is an easy and effective alternative to current passenger screening methods to detect a wide variety of threats concealed on a person. We are very proud to assist the Australian government in their critical mission to safeguard air travel."

Assured Privacy

SmartCheck's Privacy Image Provides Only an Outline: The privacy image provides operators with information to identify the nature and location of any threats, but it will not show anatomical detail of the screened individual. The privacy image shows an outline of the passenger and outlines any potential threats on the person, more like a chalk drawing than a real person.
System Cannot Store Images: For added privacy to the passenger, the system is not capable of storing, exporting, or transmitting images, and all images are automatically deleted from the system immediately after they are reviewed.
Remote Imaging Station: The Department of Infrastructure has established a separate location for the security officer to view the images so that the officer never sees the passenger.
Voluntary Screening: A SmartCheck scan is a voluntary option for passengers undergoing secondary screening as an alternative to the pat down procedures.

System Safety

Safe for All Screened Individuals and Operators: Since the SmartCheck system uses Z Backscatter X-ray technology; it is safe for both operators and scanned individuals. A person passing through the scanner will receive about the same amount of radiation as a person flying for two minutes at an altitude of 30,000 feet, or less than 10 microrem (0.1 microsieverts) per scan. SmartCheck meets the manufacturer's requirements of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard N43.17, which is the standard that the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) references for systems such as SmartCheck. SmartCheck is CE and TUV certified.

About SmartCheck

SmartCheck is a safe, non-intrusive personnel screening system that allows operators to detect threats hidden on a person. The system displays both organic and inorganic materials, revealing objects such as guns and knives, explosives, composite weapons, and other hidden threats. Its Z Backscatterâ„¢ technology gives the operator easy-to-interpret information about where threats are hidden, thus eliminating the need for intrusive and time-consuming pat-down searches.