Athena Security has introduced its Ambulance Bay Weapons Detection System, designed to enhance hospital safety through automation. This system, powered by the Ambulance Bay AI Agent, eliminates the need for hand-wanding by automating weapons screening for patients arriving via stretcher or wheelchair. This development addresses one of healthcare's significant security challenges.
"The ambulance bay has always been one of the hardest areas in healthcare to secure," stated Lisa Falzone, co-founder and President of Athena Security. "Security teams are forced to choose between speed and safety. With our new Ambulance Bay AI Agent, they no longer have to. Our system brings automation, precision, and accountability to a part of the hospital that has historically been left exposed."
Complex screening challenges
Emergency departments in hospitals are known for their complex screening environments. Patients often arrive unconscious or in distress on metal gurneys, rendering traditional metal detectors ineffective and making manual screening both cumbersome and inconsistent.
Traditionally, hospitals have used handheld wands to scan patients, but this method often results in false positives due to the metallic nature of the stretchers. This process is not only prone to errors but also time-consuming, leading to potential lapses in security when time is of the essence.
Streamlined screening process
The Ambulance Bay AI Agent simplifies this process by allowing staff to wheel patients through the system for a full-body scan in seconds, cutting down screening time by 30 to 60 seconds per patient. This automated approach not only enhances accuracy but also ensures a consistent screening process.
Key benefits of the system
- Automated weapons detection negates the need for manual hand-wanding and reduces human error.
- Allows rapid, frictionless screening as patients pass under the scanner.
- Accurately identifies threats without interference, even on metal stretchers.
- Utilises RedBox technology for precise location-based alerts, speeding up threat response.
- Improves throughput and maintains the speed of emergency care.
- Provides a replicable process that eliminates variability seen with manual methods.
Unlike conventional systems, Athena's Ambulance Bay WDS is tailored for high-pressure medical settings, offering dependable performance without hindering emergency operations.
Enhancing emergency care
Athena Security is enabling healthcare facilities to enhance safety measures efficiently
"Our job is to detect and show exactly where the object is," says Chris Ciabarra, co-founder and CTO of Athena Security. "From there, each hospital follows its own policies on how to handle the situation. But we eliminate the guesswork. You’re no longer relying on someone manually waving a wand and hoping they didn’t miss anything."
The fully automated system replaces manual screening, counteracting inconsistencies caused by hurried processes and human error. It integrates real-time detection, image capture, and incident logging, providing a comprehensive security solution that is both auditable and compliant with operational standards.
By transitioning from manual to AI-driven workflows for ambulance bay screening, Athena Security is enabling healthcare facilities to enhance safety measures efficiently. The Ambulance Bay Weapons Detection System aligns with Athena’s broader security infrastructure, incorporating entryway security, visitor management, and AI-supported X-ray technologies to offer a cohesive security strategy.
Athena Security, a provider of AI-enabled physical security solutions, announces its Ambulance Bay Weapons Detection System. Powered by a new Ambulance Bay AI Agent, the system automates weapons screening for patients arriving via stretcher or wheelchair—removing the need for hand-wanding and closing one of healthcare’s most critical security gaps.
“The ambulance bay has always been one of the hardest areas in healthcare to secure,” says Lisa Falzone, co-founder and President of Athena Security. “Security teams are forced to choose between speed and safety. With our new Ambulance Bay AI Agent, they no longer have to. Our system brings automation, precision, and accountability to a part of the hospital that has historically been left exposed.”
Complex screening environment
Hospital emergency departments face a uniquely complex screening environment. Patients often arrive unconscious or in distress, on fully metal gurneys, making traditional metal detectors ineffective and manual screening both time-consuming and inconsistent.
Historically, hospitals have relied on handheld wands to screen patients—an approach that is inherently flawed. Because stretchers are entirely metal, wands frequently trigger false positives, requiring multiple passes over the body. In emergency situations, where seconds matter, this process is often rushed or skipped altogether.
High-pressure medical environments
Instead of stopping to manually scan a patient, staff can simply wheel the patient through the system, allowing the AI Agent to conduct a full-body scan in seconds—reducing screening time by up to 30–60 seconds per patient while improving accuracy and consistency.
Key Features and Benefits of the Ambulance Bay Weapons Detection System:
- Automated weapons detection (no hand-wanding required) - Eliminates reliance on manual screening and reduces human error
- Fast, frictionless screening - Full-body scan completed in seconds as patients are wheeled under the scanner
- Built for gurney-based screening - Accurately detects objects on patients lying on fully metal stretchers without interference
- RedBox location-based alerts - Pinpoints the exact location of potential threats on the body for rapid response
- Improved throughput - Reduces screening time by 30–60 seconds per patient, helping maintain speed of care
- Consistent, repeatable process- Removes variability caused by rushed or incomplete manual screening
- Unlike traditional systems, Athena’s Ambulance Bay WDS is purpose-built to operate in high-pressure medical environments, delivering reliable performance without slowing down emergency workflows.
Urgency of emergency care
“Our job is to detect and show exactly where the object is,” states Chris Ciabarra, co-founder and CTO of Athena Security. “From there, each hospital follows its own policies on how to handle the situation. But we eliminate the guesswork. You’re no longer relying on someone manually waving a wand and hoping they didn’t miss anything.”
The Ambulance Bay AI Agent replaces the need for manual hand-wanding entirely—automating a process that has historically been inconsistent due to time constraints, human error, and the urgency of emergency care.
Delivering improved speed
Athena Security’s Ambulance Bay WDS combines real-time detection with image capture, incident logging, and documentation within a single, unified workflow. The system performs the scan, generates alerts, and automatically logs each event, delivering improved speed, accuracy, and accountability. It also includes seamless chain-of-custody tracking for confiscated items, ensuring that every screening event is fully documented, auditable, and supportive of both compliance and operational oversight.
By transforming ambulance bay screening from a manual, inconsistent process into a fast, automated, AI-driven workflow, Athena Security is enabling hospitals to improve safety without slowing down care.
The Ambulance Bay Weapons Detection System integrates seamlessly with Athena’s broader entryway security platform, including visitor management, weapons detection, and AI-assisted X-ray, delivering a unified approach to facility-wide security.
