The sophistication of the technology enables the first seemed impossible, can now become a reality. A smartphone can be used to see through the walls for example.
Scientists the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to develop a cheap and small-sized teraherzt imager.
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| Caltech electrical engineers Kaushik Sengupta and Ali Hajimiri demonstrate the capabilities of their terahertz chips for imaging. (Picture from: http://www.eurekalert.org/) |
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| This is a metal key tucked inside an envelope. Inset: the terahertz image obtained with the silicon chip. (Picture from: http://www.eurekalert.org/) |
In the smartphone installed a chip that could generates and emits terahertz waves. This waves type could penetrated into a material, such as walls, without causing damage. When combined on a handheld device, this technology can be used for various purposes.
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| These re tiny, silicon microchips developed by electrical engineers at the California Institute of Technology.(Picture from: http://www.eurekalert.org/) |
According to its developers, terahertz wave technology can be used for security, wireless communications, touchless gaming.
"Utilizing an inexpensive integrated circuit technology, the same used to make microchips in mobile phones, we are making silicon chips that could operate almost 300 times than their speed. The chip enables the latest generation sensors are versatile," said Professor Ali Hajimiri.
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| A bullet and a knife blade hidden inside a toy. The teraherz image reveals the hidden objects without needing to cut open the toy. (Picture from: http://www.upi.com/) |
Terahertz scanning is actually not something new. This technology is already being used by the New York Police Department (NYPD), for example, to detect the presence of the weapons. However, most of existing systems involving laser size, expensive, and often require very low temperatures.
With the help of IBM, a team at Caltech has been able to use standard CMOS technology, this technology could eventually be used to design silicon chips that operate at terahertz frequencies. The researchers claim to have used this technology to find a razor blade hidden in a piece of plastic. *** [EUREKALERT | SRI | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 20122012]
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