Athena Control Center 4.0 SEPT 2026 Release Notes: AI Weapons Detection, Epic/Cerner Integration & Remote Screening Review

Sept 2026 Athena Control Center 4.0 is the backend platform release powering the latest Athena Security weapons detection system (WDS), X-ray screening, visitor management system (VMS), integrated locker, and device management capabilities. This release delivers AI-powered drone detection on X-ray, improved gun and knife detection models deployed over the air from server to iPad, healthcare-grade PHI protection for Epic and Cerner HL7 integrations, and remote alert review for security operators — built for hospitals, K-12 schools, government buildings, places of worship, stadiums, and corporate campuses.

What's New in Version 4.0

• AI drone detection on X-ray screening
• Improved gun and knife detection with server-to-iPad model deployment
• Secondary Look app for remote clear-alert review
• Epic middleware integration with salted PHI hashing — no clear-text PHI, ever
• VPN-secured Epic and Cerner HL7 data feeds
• API-only JAMF iPad support access with full audit trail

AI Detection Improvements

X-ray AI drone detection. Updated X-ray AI models now detect drones and drone components during bag screening, expanding automated threat detection beyond traditional weapons categories.

Improved gun and knife detection with over-the-air model deployment. Enhanced AI models deliver higher firearm and knife detection accuracy. New server-to-iPad model deployment pushes updated detection models from the server directly to checkpoint iPads — no manual app updates required, so every screening lane runs the latest AI.

Bag-to-person association on X-ray. New RTSP support on the backend lets camera feed configurations be pushed to iPads, updating bag-to-person association during X-ray screening so operators can instantly link a flagged bag to its owner.

Secondary Look App: Remote Screening Review

Clear alerts can now be sent to the new Secondary Look app, allowing security operators in another location to remotely view and verify screening results. Organizations can centralize secondary review, support multi-site monitoring, and reduce staffing pressure at individual checkpoints.

Healthcare Integrations & PHI Protection

Built for hospital weapons detection and healthcare security compliance:

Epic middleware integration with hash support. Protected health information (PHI) is never stored or transmitted in clear text — all PHI is always hashed with salt.

VPN support for Epic and Cerner HL7 feeds. All HL7 healthcare data exchange with Epic and Cerner runs over encrypted VPN transport.

Improved PHI data scanning. PHI scanning now covers every field in the system, including open and free-text fields and facial name data input.

X-Ray Testing & Compliance Management

• Dedicated X-Ray Test Page for managing and documenting daily X-ray machine testing
• New bootup test monitoring report showing whether each system was tested at startup before entering service
• Defined pass criteria: at least nine alerts triggered within ten minutes in a single session
• Failure handling workflow requiring repeat testing with the test piece in different body positions
• Calendar view of daily test activity for compliance visibility
• Mandatory CRT form submission per session (gate serial number, test date, test piece, guard name, corrective actions)
• Configurable CRT prompts after WDS (CEIA & Apollo) or X-ray tests

JAMF MDM Integration

• Connect your organization's JAMF Pro instance for iPad management directly from the Control Center, with secure multi-tenant support
• API-only support access: support personnel lock and unlock iPads through the Control Center interface — no direct JAMF console login — with every action captured in a full audit trail
• Comprehensive device management: app deployment, device locking, configuration management, and troubleshooting
• Real-time on-device feedback confirming command status

CRM, Alerts & Facial Recognition

• "Driver License Details" renamed to "Identification Details" for multi-ID support
• Automatic sex-offender alerts when an individual is flagged in CRM, surfaced across connected applications including VMS
• Real-time iOS lock code push notifications at station and account levels
• Improved facial recognition enrollment and matching accuracy

Incident Response Report (IRR)

• Secure IRR delivery via secure link (including photos) instead of PDFs
• IRR web view now matches CSV exports, including older reports
• IRR Only Mode restricting the app to IRR-related actions and pages

Backend Platform Support for WDS 4.0

• X-ray support fields: AI drone detection model data, server-to-iPad model deployment, RTSP camera configuration push, bag-to-person association records, and bootup test status reporting
• JAMF policy relay enabling the Control Center to communicate directly with JAMF policies for API-driven device actions
• Secondary Look alert routing for remote operator review
• Redesigned reporting engine with bar, line, pie, and heatmap visualizations and multi-station aggregation
• Rebuilt preset management with faster loading and case-insensitive matching
• Scheduled report delivery (daily, weekly, monthly) with enhanced CSV exports and consistent timezone handling
• CRT data capture and audit trail with offline submission sync
• Dynamic role-specific CRT triggers (e.g., Apollo vs. TCP operators)

Backend Platform Support for Integrated Lockers

• Secure item storage and controlled retrieval with multi-object case storage and QR-based tracking
• Face authentication for guard operations and object retrieval
• Live locker dashboard with real-time status and case-to-locker visibility
• Complete audit logging of every storage and retrieval transaction

Backend Platform Support for VMS 4.0

• Session duration analytics covering the full visitor journey from kiosk arrival to manager approval
• "Duration of Input" tracking in CRM History
• New Contractor and Consultant visitor types with customizable registration and check-in flows
• QR code and web form pre-registration

Enhancements

• Object Scan reports: resolved duplicate rows and restored missing object types for accurate totals

Security & Compliance

• All findings from the January 2026 third-party penetration test fully resolved
• PHI protection hardening: salted hashing, VPN-secured HL7 transport, and expanded PHI field scanning

Installation & Compatibility

Version 4.0 maintains backward compatibility with existing VMS and WDS applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Athena Control Center 4.0 push models for detect drones in X-ray screening? Yes. Version 4.0 updates the X-ray AI models to detect drones and drone components during bag screening, expanding threat coverage beyond firearms and knives.

How does Athena Security protect PHI in Epic and Cerner integrations? PHI is never stored or transmitted in clear text. All Epic-integrated data is hashed with salt, Epic and Cerner HL7 feeds run over VPN, and PHI scanning covers every open field, including facial name data input.

Can operators review screening alerts from another location? Yes. The new Secondary Look app receives clear alerts so operators in a separate location can remotely view and verify screening results.

Do detection model updates require manual iPad app updates? No. Server-to-iPad model deployment pushes improved gun and knife detection models from the server directly to checkpoint iPads.

Can support teams manage iPads without logging into JAMF? Yes. Support actions such as locking and unlocking iPads are performed through the Athena Control Center via API only, with a complete audit trail.

Athena Security provides AI-powered weapons detection systems, X-ray screening, and visitor management for hospitals, K-12 schools, government buildings, places of worship, stadiums, event venues, and corporate campuses.