Superman’s X-ray vision goes handheld
Included in Superman’s suite of superpowers is X-ray vision, which allows him to see through solid objects. Using Superman as their inspiration, researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and the Seoul National University (SNU) have brought the ability to see into packages and through walls closer to being a reality using an imager chip small enough to fit into a smartphone.
“This technology is like Superman’s X-ray vision,” said Kenneth O, professor of electrical engineering at UTD, director of the Texas Analog Center of Excellence (TxACE) and one of the study’s co-authors. “Of course, we use signals at 200 gigahertz to 400 gigahertz instead of X-rays, which can be harmful.”
The imager microchip tech was first demonstrated in 2022, the culmination of more than 15 years of work by O and his team of students, researchers, and collaborators. The chip emits radiation in the terahertz (THz) range – that is, electromagnetic radiation in the frequency range between 0.1 THz (100 GHz) and 10 THz, with corresponding wavelengths from 3 mm down to 0.03 mm. These waves, invisible to the human eye and considered safe, are higher frequency than radio waves and microwaves but lower than those of infrared light.
With the 2022 model, O demonstrated that 430 GHz beams produced by the microchip traveled through fog, dust, and other obstacles that optical light can’t penetrate. They bounced off objects and were reflected back to the microchip, where pixels picked up the signal to create an image. The imager didn’t rely on external lenses, which ordinarily would be used to improve image clarity and sharpness. Instead, it was made using the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology that’s used to manufacture modern consumer computer processors, memory chips, and other digital devices.
