Techotic

Boy’s comics of a generation ago, used to advertise X-ray spec’s, which would allow you to see through clothing, and all for just half a weeks pocket money. Well the answer to every 12 year old, pubescent boy’s dreams, are about to become a reality.

A camera that can ‘see’ through clothes and detect drugs, weapons and explosives at a distance of over 25m is ready for use at strategic locations such as international airports.

The wonderfully named Thru Vision camera system may come into use at airports, Government offices and other strategic public spaces. The system utilizes “terahertz”, more commonly known as T-ray technology.

T-ray’s have been used for many years by astronomers, in the study of dead and dying stars. The same system will now allow security personnel to ‘see through’ clothing. This description is a little misleading, as the image is more like an infrared image, revealing dark and light areas. It does not actually see the body underneath the clothing.

Which may be a huge disappointment to 12 year old boys, but it is getting security personnel very excited. Unlike X-rays the T-ray’s do not expose people to any harmful radiation, a spokesman for Thru Vision said that actually only receives information, so is not giving of harmful rays.

Two locations are already using the system Canary Wharf in London, and the Mercantile Exchange in Dubai. British Government, Home Office scientific advisers will study at their annual exhibition this week.

T-rays operate very different light from X-ray scanners used in airports and other secure areas. T-rays harness electromagnetic radiation, a form of very low level energy that is the emitted by all objects including human bodies.

The T-rays pass through cloth, ceramics, wood and other objects but are blocked by liquids and metals. T-rays work by collecting waves together, and then processing them to make a representative image, which when viewed by trained staff will reveal any concealed objects.

The image has different colors and different intensities; some objects are darker than others giving away for example, the shape of a gun. The company has produced several versions of the camera; the new T5000 is the first that will work both outdoors and indoors.

T-rays were developed originally by the British governments Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and then use by astronomers to look through clouds and dust in outer space to reveal stars were previously, out of sight.

The system was then used to probe into the structures of pharmaceutical compounds, this latest development could change the way security works, especially in high risk airport situations.