ThruVision's T5000 camera peers beneath your clothes

Finally, all of your boy- and girlhood dreams of X-ray specs are coming to fruition... sort of. A company called ThruVision has pioneered a camera system which is able to peer beneath clothing using teraherz waves (T-waves). Unfortunately for perved-out snoopers, the 80-foot-ranged camera can't make out "anatomical details," rather, it can only see materials like plastic, metal, and gels or liquids. The company sees use for the surveillance systems in places like airports or government buildings, where the ever-staring eye of Big Brother is most needed. Still, this is certainly preferable to Total Recall-like X-rays, or those strip searches we keep getting when we travel lately. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Thanks, Justin]

[Kamokazi @ Mar 11th 2008 12:19PM]

Hasn't this been done before, and better?

http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/10/xtra-revealing-x-ray-scanner-coming-soon-to-londons-heathrow/

[E71 @ Mar 11th 2008 12:20PM]

That guy looks hungry.

[NG @ Mar 11th 2008 12:21PM]

even when it shows up your "anatomical details", they would tell you.

[Flashpoint @ Mar 11th 2008 12:55PM]

if you get an erection, your body heat "there" will show up. Like a bright red line.

[Kate @ Mar 11th 2008 12:25PM]

If it registers plastic and gels, it may show "enhanced" anatomical details...

[Khris @ Mar 11th 2008 12:29PM]

Excuse me ma'am. We've detected that you're carrying two pouches of unidentified liquid in your bra. Please remove them.

"But they're implants"

Sure they are ma'am. Please remove them, or we will.

[Les @ Mar 11th 2008 1:12PM]

This is going to make air travel awkward for cross dressers.

[eX @ Mar 11th 2008 1:51PM]

Talking from experience Les? :)

[Andrew O. @ Mar 11th 2008 12:28PM]

For all of the talk we have here in the States about diminishing civil liberties and civilian spying, the UK sure does seem to me at the forefront of a lot of this Big-Brother tech. For any European readers, is this subject getting to be fairly prevalent in your public discourse as well?

[Aguiluz @ Mar 11th 2008 12:40PM]

Will there be ANY privacy LEFT!?! THEY ARE SO PARANOID. What's next? Law for phone, email, text and internet taps!

WAIT! I got it! Maybe they need to peer beneath the clothes because there is no internet at work. And, when there's no internet, they have no *bleep!* pictures to see. Jerks!

[Bucky @ Mar 11th 2008 12:55PM]

Waaaaa! Somebody get me a tissue!

[Khris @ Mar 11th 2008 12:59PM]

@ Aguiluz

Wait! I got it! You're a moron! STFU!

[Will @ Mar 11th 2008 12:45PM]

It's terahertz.
[Heinrich rolls over once more]

[H4MM3R @ Mar 11th 2008 12:50PM]

Can it help me find my car keys?

[telepheedian @ Mar 11th 2008 12:53PM]

If they're in your pocket.

[Hero @ Mar 11th 2008 12:51PM]

I see London, I see France, I see your underpants. . .

[Khris @ Mar 11th 2008 1:01PM]

I see London, I see France, you've got stains in your underpants!

[Thor @ Mar 11th 2008 1:02PM]

No X-rays are much worse than T-waves. Sure the resolution is higher and all, but the X-ray provide an ionizing radiation while the T-waves do not. Secondly the T-wave system does not send any radiowaves, it only acts as a radiometer (receiver).

As far as I know, X-rays do not only penetrate clothes but also skin and body tissue, which would make the "see naked people"-function impossible.

Although this camera is only 2D, the construction of a 3D one is on it's way from Technical University of Denmark I have heard.

I think that since they can locate drugs, explosives and other materials that may be small in volume, they are able to see some nude people, but choose to create the surveillance software in such a way that this functionality is not included.

[damian @ Mar 11th 2008 2:39PM]

So Mr Terry Rist just hides his ceramic knife on the inside of his arm held against the side of his body and no one is any the wiser... Useless.

[Tod @ Mar 11th 2008 3:40PM]

I feel bad for all those women who walk around with "joy buzzers" in their panties. I wonder if they will notice the security guards snickering?

[ep @ Mar 11th 2008 4:14PM]

Because that's so common??

[OneLove @ Mar 11th 2008 5:42PM]

concealed threats, contraband, Big Penis?...Can you tell from a distance?

[rgt @ Mar 13th 2008 6:09PM]

Will it show my cock ring?

[GRIZWALD @ Mar 28th 2008 10:03PM]

WE NEED TO USE THRUVISION OR MAYBE A COLOR INFRARED CAMERA TO DETECT CONCEALED WEAPONS ON OUR CITY STREETS AND HIGH CRIME AREAS...HINT HINT