Terahertz Detectors Could See Through Your Clothes From a Mile Away

Terahertz Detectors Could See Through Your Clothes From a Mile Away

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Someone may soon be able to tell what types material are in your pockets from tens, and possibly thousands, of feet away.

Using terahertz remote sensing, detectors could see through walls, clothing and packaging materials and immediately identify the unique terahertz waves of the materials contained inside, such as explosives or drugs.

“Homeland security and military agencies have been struggling for years to get technology like this,” said terahertz expert Abul Azad at Los Alamos National Laboratory. “I think the approach they have revealed is really, really unique.”

Source


I understand the use of it to see thru walls, packaging materials, and whatnot, but for clothes?. You know sooner or later there will be a news article stating "Security Employee caught using new Detector to see through womens clothes."

I wouldn't doubt it either. But nonetheless could be usefull for the military.

Thoughts?

[edit on 12-7-2010 by Oozii]
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Added the initial 'T' to the title.

[edit on 12/7/2010 by ArMaP]

I pity the fool whos job it is to loot through that thing in America!

S&F. Interesting technology to say the least.

Terahertz detectors could also be used for airport security to detect illegal substances hidden in people’s clothes. The approach would be less invasive than x-rays, Liu said, because terahertz waves are much lower in energy. It would not reveal anything concealed inside the body, because the terahertz signals cannot go through water, or metal.

Theoretically, Liu said, terahertz remote sensing could also be used identify the composition of an unknown toxic spill in the environment, or the composition of objects in space.

Well, it'll be less invasive than x-rays, since these terahertz wavesare lower in engergy. But if they could make the engergy high enough i'm pretty sure they could do alot more with it. I mean the article mentioned seeing through walls. So IMO they'd need to use a higher engergy terahertz for that.

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[edit on 12/7/2010 by ArMaP]

Originally posted by Oozii
I understand the use of it to see thru walls, packaging materials, and whatnot, but for clothes?.

If you understand it, please explain it to me, because I don't. Here's what I understand:

The researchers demonstrated that they could detect the signal from 67 feet away, the length of their laboratory space, but theoretically they could identify materials hundreds of feet or even miles away, Liu said. “Homeland security and military agencies have been struggling for years to get technology like this,” said terahertz expert Abul Azad at Los Alamos National Laboratory. “I think the approach they have revealed is really, really unique.” The first application of this technology will likely be for the remote detection of roadside bombs, also known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by the military. Homeland Security and the Defense Department were the primary funders of the research.

I understand all that part because they can aim the lasers directly at the materials, and the plasma can interact directly with the materials. So this part of the technology I understand completely.

I think it's a myth that infrared cameras can see people through walls. (Terahertz is like infrared). The possible exception would be, if a person inside a house leans up against the wall, and heats up the wall, the heat signature of the wall can be detected. But I don't think walls are all that transparent to terahertz or infrared radiation, are they? Here's an image of a house in infrared, shifted to visible light to show the temperature with different visible colors:

www.buildingalternatives.com...

What frequencies are walls transparent to and what frequencies are walls opaque to?

I think they are exaggerating about the seeing through walls bit. I think whatever they are trying to detect would have to be practically touching the wall to be detectable, but if I'm wrong, teach me something I don't know.

[edit on 12-7-2010 by Arbitrageur]

To anyone who uses this device to look though my clothes, I offer my deepest appologies. If you act quickly, you may be able to regain your eyesight.

Seriously though, would this give an image like an x-ray?