Ananova:

US civil liberties campaigners are opposing the introduction of security scanners that visually remove passengers' clothes.

The powerful new security scanners are set to be installed at airports in Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles and other major cities.

Passengers will be shut in the glass booths while an incredibly detailed 3D image is made of their body.

The booths close around the passenger and emit 'millimetre waves' that go through cloth to identify metal, plastics, ceramics, chemical materials and explosives, according to the Transport Safety Authority.

"People have no idea how graphic the images are," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the technology and liberty programme at the American Civil Liberties Union.

To protect the passengers privacy, their faces will be blurred and the images will not be saved.

Lara Uselding, a TSA spokeswoman, said passengers were not obliged to accept the new machines.

"The passengers can choose between the body imaging and the pat-down," she said.