New terahertz "T-ray" cameras will allow us to see into space and under each others' clothes.
One camera, already built by a company called QinetiQ and working in so-called millimetric waves, has demonstrated the ability to eerily peer through clothes and reveal a concealed weapon — as well as much of a person's body. The image shows far more detail than an infrared camera, which detects heat.
Terahertz radiation is similar to but more revealing than what the QinetiQ camera detects. Scientists say T-rays are emitted by pretty much everything. They come from "the human hand, an envelope, someone with clothes on or a comet," says Geoff McBride, who works on Star Tiger, the British project. It is supported by the European Space Agency.
(Thanks, Jay!)
