An innovative solution was born after a sippy cup of breast milk spilled inside Oregon’s Portland International Airport (PDX) X-ray machine, putting it out of service until a technician could dismantle and clean it.
PDX Lead TSA Officer Alicia Canham has often witnessed baby bottles, to-go cups and other medically necessary liquids spilled on conveyor belts after being knocked over by the heavy X-ray curtains. But this time, the accidental disruption prompted her to find a creative Lift solution that made colleagues at other airports say, ‘why didn’t I think of that?’
Lift is a network of frontline TSA employees, with a focus on in innovation, who network internally and externally with stakeholder partners, seeking solutions to screening challenges.
It dawned on Canham that a cupholder resting inside the bowl might eliminate spills and end the frustration caused by delayed screening service.
Canham took a bowl home over a weekend, used calipers to take measurements, then taught herself to use the 3D printer she’d bought her teenage son a while back. Although she had no experience with the technology, she developed a passion for it as she learned.
By Monday, she had a working prototype that delighted her colleagues. Using the feedback they gave her, she tweaked the design and produced a holder that keeps medium-sized drink tumblers and 24-ounce coffee cups stable as they move through screening.
Word about the cupholder quickly got around, and others were asking to use it. Not surprisingly, passengers have been very enthusiastic about them. Canham has shared her 3D file with TSA staff at three Oregon airports and has also added a second model that snaps onto the screening bins. Each cupholder cost $3 to manufacture and takes just under six hours to produce. The PDX Lift team is working to patent the cupholder with an eye toward expanding use of the cupholders to airports nationwide.
“I’m happy I got to create something people find useful,” said Canham. “It gives you the warm fuzzies when you can help someone. If you’re looking to innovate at TSA, talk about your ideas with others. Your peers can help you. People feel invested if they are included in the conversation.”
By Karen Robicheaux, TSA Strategic Communications & Public Affairs