I will not comment on this one. The article speaks for itself.
--ItT
Britain makes camera that "sees" under clothes Sun Mar 9, 7:21 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - A British company has developed a camera that can
detect weapons, drugs or explosives hidden under people's clothes from
up to 25 meters away in what could be a breakthrough for the 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 and could
be used in crowded air****ts, shopping malls or s****ting events, will
be unveiled at a scientific development exhibition sponsored by
Britain's Home Office on March 12-13.
"Acts of terrorism have shaken the world in recent years and security
precautions have been tightened globally," said Clive Beattie, the
chief executive of ThruVision.
"The ability to see both metallic and non-metallic items on people out
to 25 meters is certainly a key capability that will enhance any
comprehensive security system."
While the technology may enhance detection, it may also increase
concerns that Britain is becoming a surveillance society, with
hundreds of thousands of closed-circuit television cameras already
monitoring people countrywide every day.
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.
(Re****ting by Luke Baker)
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