Britain makes camera that “sees” under clothes

Thermal images have been around for a while now this appears to be the next level. Bad news for jihadis and others harboring ill will.

9 March, 2008, 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.
-The issue of privacy concerns comes up every time we get a break in technology. Reality you already have very little actual privacy. In most western countries you can not go far with out passing under a camera. Be it on a traffic light, a business surveillance system or a government protected site your likeness is already imaged. Add public and private records and your entire life is available to someone’s scrutiny.

Personal privacy should never be used as an excuse to lower security. The greater good of the community overrules personal privacy concerns. No government is large enough to monitor everyone and they will be forced to focus on real suspects over innocents. All methods to find fix and destroy criminals and terrorists should be used until the last minion’s head can be mounted high on a pike.
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)

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