Having an X-ray vision or the ability to see through walls has long been a staple in science fiction movies and comics. Today, scientists are on their way to making a portable X-ray vision technology that would help in the military and emergency services.
They claim that X-ray vision will help rescuers spot survivors under the rubble, measure their vital signs, and generate images of the victim instead of digging the wrong pile of rubble and wasting more precious time of saving someone's life.
This dream is rapidly becoming possible with the see-through-wall radar technology with earlier versions that can tell whether there is a person in a room that has not been in use for several years. So, how does this technology works?
Radar's X-Ray Vision Ability
Radar is short for radio detection ranging, which uses radio waves to send signals that travel at the speed of light. If the signal hits an object it is reflected to the receiver, and an echo is seen on the radar screen to estimate the location of the object.
Electrical engineering professor Aly Fathy of the University of Tennessee wrote in The Conversation that the Doppler effect, which was first described by Christian Doppler in 1842, can be used to detect tiny motions even heartbeats, and reflect signals depending on the person's breathing and heart rate. This allows an accurate measurement of vital signs.
Radar uses electromagnetic waves to locate an object. But low radio frequencies do not allow for an X-ray vision of what is behind a wall as the signal either travels back or it travels through the wall.
In order to create a technology that can track objects on the other side of the wall, the key is having a sensitive receiver that is a lot more sensitive than ordinary radar receivers. It should be able to pick up the signals that are reflected by the wall.
Then a well-established signal processing techniques will filter the reflections from static objects, like walls and furniture, to allow the signal of an object to be isolated.
Professor Fathy added that recent developments of wireless technology from 5G networks and beyond likely help improved the X-ray vision technology by providing higher-resolution images that process data at a faster rate to reduce the time between transmitting and receiving data.
Portable X-Ray Vision Technology For Military and Emergency Services
Scientists have long pushed for a portable see-through-wall radar technology to create a smaller and portable version that will aid in the operations of emergency services, law enforcement, the military, as well as a tool to monitor the elderly and read vital signs of patients with infectious diseases.
BBC News reported that a portable X-ray vision technology could also be used as an alert system that detects subtle movements and the direction of where it is coming from. So if a person falls over and is unable to get up or if they have stopped breathing, the sensor could detect it.
Also, an X-ray vision portable system is helpful when drilling walls to avoid accidental drilling through pipes and cables as the person could now see where to exactly create a hole.
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