[Infowarrior] - Britain makes camera that "sees" under clothes

[Richard Forno]

 Britain makes camera that "sees" under clothes

Sun Mar 9, 7:21 AM ET

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080309/tc_nm/security_britain_technology_dc

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 airports, shopping malls or sporting 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.

(Reporting by Luke Baker)