New terahertz "T-ray" cameras will allow us to see into space and under each others' clothes.

One camera, already built by a company called QinetiQ and working in so-called millimetric waves, has demonstrated the ability to eerily peer through clothes and reveal a concealed weapon -- as well as much of a person's body. The image shows far more detail than an infrared camera, which detects heat.

Terahertz radiation is similar to but more revealing than what the QinetiQ camera detects. Scientists say T-rays are emitted by pretty much everything. They come from "the human hand, an envelope, someone with clothes on or a comet," says Geoff McBride, who works on Star Tiger, the British project. It is supported by the European Space Agency.

Link Discuss (Thanks, Jay!) [Boing Boing Blog]

T rays also see through smoke and clouds, which sould make for an interesting set of optics for artillery as well as an HMD for soldiers in the field. The T rays are similar to millimeter wave radar, only running at a much higher frequency.

Thought: Just walk through the scanner in the airport, and get checked for weapons etc that way. No more strip searches, no more metal detectors. Like out of the movie Total Recall.