“Comic-book superpowers could become reality as scientists have designed a phone that works as ‘X-Ray spec,'” Rob Waugh reports for The Daily Mail. “A hi-tech chip allows a phone to ‘see through’ walls, wood and plastics – and (although the researchers are coy about this) through fabrics such as clothing. Doctors could also use the imagers to look inside the body for cancer tumours without damaging X-Rays or large, expensive MRI scanners.”
Waugh reports, “The researchers claim it could allow DIYers to detect studs within walls, or allow businesses to detect counterfeit money. At present, it’s designed to work over a short range – and works with a normal-sized microchip that could fit into phones or other handheld electronics. The team’s research involves tapping into an unused range in the electromagnetic spectrum.”
“Chips manufactured using CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) technology form the basis of many consumer electronic devices used in daily life such as personal computers, smart phones, high definition TV and game consoles,” Waugh reports. “‘CMOS is affordable and can be used to make lots of chips,’ said Dr. Kenneth O, professor of electrical engineering at UT Dallas. ‘The combination of CMOS and terahertz means you could put this chip and receiver on the back of a cellphone, turning it into a device carried in your pocket that can see through objects.’”
Waugh reports, “Due to privacy concerns, Dr. O and his team are focused on uses in the distance range of less than four inches. Consumer applications of such technology could range from finding studs in walls to authentication of important documents.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Stud (and studette) finder, indeed.
Now there’s a bullet point for the spec sheet.