This is a great new development awaited from a looooooong time.
This camera can see through clothes, its not able to see a person’s flesh but can detect metallic as well as non-metallic objects such as weapons and explosives that are hidden under clothing even from as far as 80 feet away.
The camera has been developed by company called ThruVision. Before you get too excited at the idea of being able to peek through clothing, unfortunately (or should I say fortunately) the camera does not expose the human flesh.
Its just as well because a camera like this would have no chance of being cleared as an acceptable form of security, if it did. There would be an uproar, right?
The camera works by identifying items by the electromagnetic rays they give out. Its like having an x-ray vision trough someone’s clothes without revealing the skin. It can also distinguish between different types of material based on the waves produced and is able to detect non-metallic items too. Currently metal detectors are widely used which means they have to carry out body search by hand to check for non-metallic objects.
And because electromagnetic rays travel through walls, a person does not have to be directly in line with the camera for it suss out if they are carrying an offensive weapon, they may be in a different room altogether from where the camera is located.
There are concerns that technology such as this will further erode our civil liberties. That may be true, but in this instance I would think most people would be willing to sacrifice a bit of privacy if it can greatly enhance security. I think this is perfectly acceptable as a way to ramp up security at strategic locations such as airports. This is far less threatening from a privacy standpoint than something like ID cards which the government is introducing and of course the spate of confidential public data government organisations have lost in recent months and years.
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