BodyScanner
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An infrared body scanner told me some hard truths
When you're overweight, you try to avoid buying clothes from fast-fashion retailers that you know won't cater to your size. Hell, even if you aren't too big, stores like H&M don't make it easy to buy clothes, since their sizes bear little resemblance to what you're expecting. And since nobody wants to be reminded that they need to shed a couple of pounds, they tend to avoid those stores, which is bad for business. It's a problem that TG3D Studio is looking to remedy, albeit by handing out some hard truths along the way.
The ShapeScale 3D scanner can color-code your body changes
I am trying to get in shape. I work out regularly and have been eating better. But still, whenever I step on my Fitbit Aria scale, my weight or body fat percentage don't seem to have budged much. It's frustrating, even when it seems that certain parts have gotten smaller or more toned. Unless I whip out a caliper and pinch my bits of flab for precise measurements, I don't really know what's happening. The ShapeScale, available for pre-order starting today, might solve that conundrum for me. This $499 scale and 3D scanner creates a 360-degree image of a user's body, forming a colorful visual aid that highlights which bits are getting bigger and smaller.
Full-body 3D scanning is about to get faster and cheaper
3D scanners come in all shapes and sizes these days, and obviously the bigger you go, the more you have to pay. In the case of full-body scanning, many existing solutions require you to stand still for 12 to 14 seconds which isn't ideal for both the customer and the vendor, plus they tend to take up a large amount of space. Luckily, that won't be the case with a new machine from Japanese startup VRC. Unveiled at CEATEC, the Shun'X -- "shun" meaning "instantaneous" and "x" implying limitless possibilities -- can scan a person in merely four seconds, and its footprint takes up just six square meters of space as opposed to the typical nine to eleven square meters.
Sneaking weapons past body scanners is easier than you think
For a while now, folks have been discussing how Rapiscan backscatter X-ray machines used at various security checks can be easily duped. Since metal shows up as black shapes on the scan, it's quite easy to hide something on one's side, or attached to the inside of clothing, blending in to the captured image's background. A cooperative effort amongst researchers from the University of California at San Diego, University of Michigan and John Hopkins has been looking into possible tricks of their own. The group discovered that teflon tape could be used to conceal a weapon on the spine, malware is capable of faking image captures and wrapping items (like simulated explosives) around the body could make them read as flesh on the scans. A bit of good news is the Rapiscan Secure 1000 model tested by the team was swapped out last year by the TSA in favor of millimeter-wave scanners that provide a less detailed image to security personnel. However, the systems remain in use for government buildings around the US. [Photo credit: Michael Fein/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Handheld millimeter / microwave camera to see through walls, your underpants (video)
You know those scanners that peep your naughty bits at the airport? Well, a team of researchers have been working on a handheld camera that sports the same technology, and while they're touting its future impact on stuff like cancer detection and aerospace engineering, we can't help but squirm thinking about its Peeping-Tom potential. The camera currently takes 30 images per second by transmitting millimeter and microwaves to a "collector" on the other side of a subject, and then sends them to a laptop for real-time inspection. Aside from being able to see straight through your BVDs, it can also be used to detect defects in spacecraft insulation, find termites lurking in the walls of your apartment, and help in the diagnosis of skin disease. The camera's creators are working on a smaller, one-sided version of the device that could have mass-market appeal -- we just hope this thing stays in R&D long enough for us to get our bikini bodies back. Check out a video of its G-rated abilities after the break.
