A trial of new scanners at Heathrow Airport could mean passengers will not have to remove liquids from their hand luggage.
The machines take a 3D X-ray, allowing security staff to check items without requiring them to be removed from bags, and can detect explosives.
The worldwide rules began in 2006 after a terror plot was stopped by UK police.
The Department for Transport said a "small number" of trials was set to last between six and 12 months.
A DfT spokesperson said: "The UK has some of the strictest security measures in the world, and we are leading the way in using new technology to improve security screening and provide a better experience for passengers.
"If successful, this could lead in future to passengers no longer needing to remove items from hand luggage for screening."
The DfT added: "We continue to work closely with our international counterparts to harness the latest advances in technology."
The new computerised tomography (CT) scanners have also reportedly been tested at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport and John F Kennedy airport in New York. It comes five years after the European Commission said it hoped the restrictions across Europe could be ended through "technological screening".
