tech

Chip lets smartphones see through walls, clothes

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© 2012 AFP

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"electrical engineering professor Kenneth O"

That's an easy name to remember and spell!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

When Clark Kent takes his glasses off, we will all put ours on!!! Yay!

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You did notice that the range of this is very very small correct? While a woman or man, may not notice it from the backside, I am pretty sure that any intelligent woman would notice it if you put a cell phone right over her chest.

As others have said, the possible medical ramifications of this are freaking staggering.. X-rays done in seconds. Possible brain bleeding? They can check that. Maybe in the future, there will be a filter developed, or the signature of cancer will be figured out, and go in for a real, accurate cancer screening and be done in 10 minutes knowing that you truly do not have any cancer.

3rd world countries, except even more important where x-ray machines, cat scans are too expensive, require too much power, and take up too much space to be used. A doctor can have a cell phone and quickly help set broken bones, and do actual examinations with much better equipment since they will have much better information to work off of. The variety of ways this can be utilized in the medical world, and the far-reaching implications of this are just mind-blowing when you think of what this could lead to. This small team from Dallas may be ultimately, and directly, if not indirectly responsible for millions of lives saved due to the possible medical uses of this.

Other applications, police. If there is a bomb, rather than having to open it to directly to see what is inside, they can have their robots equipped with this, and do a quick scan. Lets them know if its a dud or a real bomb in seconds, as well as they can start planning right away how to take it apart, or even how big the blast radius is. This could save very valuable time.

And as others have also pointed out. This could lead to other, new inventions, using the same technology that others have not thought about.

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This will absolutely make the day of perverts everywhere.

TeraHertz waves are the kind used by the US TSA for their naked body scanners.

Now they'll be able to wave a smart phone handset over an unsuspecting victim's clothing and capture the nude, bald, and incredibly accurate, image of the victim beneath and send the movie wirelessly to their mobile phone's account.

Yes, you too can go through the humiliation of an airport scanner without even having to buy a ticket.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Meh. Answered my own questions by looking up "terahertz radiation" on Wiki.

How many objects emit EM radiation in the Terahertz frequency spectrum?

Anything over 10 kelvin in temperature, though extremely weak in strength. To be useful, an artifical source has to be used.

How many objects reflect EM radiation in the Terahertz frequency spectrum?

Two listed on Wiki: metal (any kind) and water. Diagnostics of your body are only going to work near your body's surface or in areas of low water density. The water in your body will quickly absorb the T-rays. Guys, you're not going to be able to see through clothes and display the skin. You'd get a good view of the subdermal layer of the skin, but... that might be too perverted even for perverts.

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Just a couple of questions: How many objects emit EM radiation in the Terahertz frequency spectrum? How many reflect EM radiation in the Terahertz frequency spectrum? Anything that doesn't do either of these is still going to be invisible to this chip.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Accedental close up photography is on the rise.

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This could & Should be used to benefit mankind-from medical uses to finding unexploded landmines, I hope this tech. is made available to people who will use it for good!!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

First we should issue it to all of Japan's finest ...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The idea that a doctor could quickly, easily and without excessive radiation exposure determine if there's an obstruction is fantastic. Imagine being able to set it to permanent "passive scan" on seniors for brain clots and similar things. The medical implications combined with specific medical object recognition software are amazing!!

Yes, I know perverts will probably abuse it, but really the medical advantages are amazing. I'd definitely want one for first aid, to check quickly if a fallen child has a skull fracture, broken arm, food stuck in their throat, etc.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I can see Uniqlo coming up with 'ShieldTech', a new line of anti-X-ray clothing.

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Put a device to look through clothing on a phone which works up to a distance of 10cm. Uh, for what?

For its much easier to download a hack that increases the range to 1.5 meters than to start by making a microchip from scratch!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I can already see new pantie line woven by lead fibers, a bit heavy but provide a full security from those curious peeks with these new devices directed towards female body parts...ahem, all perverts rejoice...

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they should mass market the tech, no more upskirt pic taking perverts !!

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@the_harper for pickpockets off course

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“There are all kinds of things you could be able to do that we just haven’t yet thought about.”

That's right! One can use it to find where mutley the mutt burried his bone. Or maybe, what's on the other side of the black hole.

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Put a device to look through clothing on a phone which works up to a distance of 10cm. Uh, for what?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

So at a matchmaking party the man can see if a woman has padded her bra from safe distance.

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One day maybe someone will design a gadget that can actually help ALL of mankind with the real troubles we face. One day.

And this technology could be part of it, some breakthroughs come when existing technologies are used in a different way or when they are combined with others that apparently were totally unrelated.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Wow perverts rejoice

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One day maybe someone will design a gadget that can actually help ALL of mankind with the real troubles we face. One day.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

so finally those 3 dollar x-ray glasses will work?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

If this ever gets mass produced, it'll make more money than Apple and Facebook combined!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I love technology.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

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