Controversial Body Scanners Debut at Newark Airport CheapOair Staff October 28, 2010 general 1 Comment Newark receives body scanners Starting Thursday, Newark Liberty International Airport will become the latest airport to offer the controversial body scanners. The Transportation Security Administration announced the machines, which take computerized images of a person's body, will make it easier for TSA agents to check for weapons at one of the nation's busiest airports. The scanners just debuted at nearby John F. Kennedy Airport last week in New York. Currently there are over 300 body scanners installed at 65 airports nationwide. If you feel uncomfortable using one of these machines, you are allowed to opt out for a full-body patdown from a TSA agent instead.