A
British firm has developed a camera that can detect weapons, drugs or
explosives hidden under people's clothes from up to 25 metres away in
what could be a breakthrough for security industry.
The T5000 camera, created by a company called ThruVision, uses what it
calls “passive imaging technology" to identify objects by the natural
electromagnetic rays — known as Terahertz or T-rays — that they emit.
The high-powered camera can detect hidden objects from up to 80 feet
away and is effective even when people are moving. It does not reveal
physical body details and the screening is harmless, the company says.
The technology, which has military and civilian
applications, will be unveiled at a scientific development exhibition
sponsored by Britain's Home Office on March 12-13.
ThruVision came up with the technology for the T5000 in collaboration
with the European Space Agency and from studying research by
astronomers into dying stars.
The technology works on the basis that all people and objects emit low
levels of electromagnetic radiation. Terahertz rays lie somewhere
between infrared and microwaves on the electromagnetic spectrum and
travel through clouds and walls. Depending on the material, the
signature of the wave is different, so that explosives can be
distinguished from a block of clay and cocaine is different from a bag
of flour
British firm has developed a camera that can detect weapons, drugs or
explosives hidden under people's clothes from up to 25 metres away in
what could be a breakthrough for security industry.
The T5000 camera, created by a company called ThruVision, uses what it
calls “passive imaging technology" to identify objects by the natural
electromagnetic rays — known as Terahertz or T-rays — that they emit.
The high-powered camera can detect hidden objects from up to 80 feet
away and is effective even when people are moving. It does not reveal
physical body details and the screening is harmless, the company says.
The technology, which has military and civilian
applications, will be unveiled at a scientific development exhibition
sponsored by Britain's Home Office on March 12-13.
ThruVision came up with the technology for the T5000 in collaboration
with the European Space Agency and from studying research by
astronomers into dying stars.
The technology works on the basis that all people and objects emit low
levels of electromagnetic radiation. Terahertz rays lie somewhere
between infrared and microwaves on the electromagnetic spectrum and
travel through clouds and walls. Depending on the material, the
signature of the wave is different, so that explosives can be
distinguished from a block of clay and cocaine is different from a bag
of flour
