A chip to enable x-ray vision. © University of Texas, Dallas
In the near future, will we be able to play Superman using our smartphones? In any case, this is the hope held out by researchers at the University of Texas in Dallas. Last January, seven Americans and one South Korean posted the latest version of their work on the journal IEEE Xplore around a chip capable, using X-rays, of seeing through matter. The team has been working on this project for almost 20 years.
X-ray vision in your pocket
The researchers’ objective is to miniaturize this technology, which already exists on a larger scale, in order to be able to integrate it into smartphones. So, no need for a fixed device the size of an airport detector to check the inside of a package or find structures in a wall (cracks in a pipe, nails, beams, etc.). Medical use is also considered.
The object, a high-frequency transceiver, measures only 2.5 cm by 7.5 cm. It operates at 296 GHz and emits a signal in the millimeter wave band of electromagnetic frequencies, between microwaves and infrared. The result is invisible to the naked eye and considered safe for humans.
Walter Sosa Portillo and Dr. Kenneth K. O at work on the chip. © The University of Texas At Dallas
A technology still in its infancy, but promising
A low-noise amplifier and other equipment are integrated into the chip to make it possible to do without lenses or optics. The goal is to be able to integrate the solution more easily into mobile devices. For privacy reasons, this technology only works when used very close to the targeted object, approximately 2.5 cm.
For the moment, with two of these chips, researchers are able to see an object 2.5 cm deep behind cardboard. The next version should be able to take photos at around 13 cm depth and detect smaller objects.