(AP) -- The federal government has begun rolling out new X-ray machines at New York City airports that will give security screeners a peek beneath travelers' clothing.
Some passengers at Kennedy Airport became the first to be scanned Thursday in advance of a more formal rollout Friday.
The device is called a "backscatter" X-ray. It is one of two types of whole-body scanners that allow screeners to see if someone is carrying a weapon - or just a few extra pounds.
The Transportation Security Administration says people who object to screeners viewing a computerized representation of their naked body will be given a pat-down instead.
The introduction of the machines will be slow, with just a handful coming to JFK, Newark and LaGuardia airports in the next few weeks. Right now, the TSA has around 300 of the scanners deployed at 61 airports.
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