LOS ANGELES, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Scientists will test a new machine that will sniff shoes for explosives, the local Daily Breeze reported on Sunday.

    The new device that will examine shoes for explosives -- while they are still attached to passengers' feet -- will be tested at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) by the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA), said the report.

    Two PassPort scanners will be pressed into service at LAX to evaluate if the machines are effective and can be approved for use nationwide, said TSA spokesman Dwayne Baird.

    But the machines will only be tested this summer, and passengers passing through the PassPort scanners will still have to have their footwear manually checked by TSA agents, so the machines can be evaluated.

    "The required removal of shoes at the security checkpoint is one of the biggest complaints we get from passengers, so we are trying something new that will allow us to maintain a high level of security while accommodating travelers," Baird told the paper.

    Some passengers complain that the shoe removal is not only slow and sometimes stinky, but thousands of sweaty feet walking in the same place can transmit Athletes' Foot fungus. Many airports distribute paper socks for passengers to use at security posts, although they are not available at LAX.