Microwave technology can see through walls (VIDEO)
MIT Researcher John Peabody demonstrating how the microwave technology works
The powers of vision that can penetrate through bodies and buildings used to be that of science fiction, but two MIT researches have brought it to reality.
Gregory Charvat and John Peabody created radar technology using microwaves that can see through walls. The microwave signals bounce off objects and return real-time images to a screen and can even penetrate concrete walls, though with limited ability.
“Eight inches is all we’ve been able to do,” Charvat told CNN. Visibility “may be able to be increased by more transit power or lowering the frequency. The lower you go in frequency, the better it is, but it becomes a resolution issue."
Additionally, 99.4 percent of the microwaves’ signals bounce off the first layer of surface, with only the remaining 0.06 percent being able to penetrate through a near foot of concrete.
The technology, though still in its infancy, may have its use in the military when assessing possible threats in buildings without having to step a foot in. Tests have been able to detect people behind solid concrete and a person swinging a metal pole, according to the BBC.
CNN: “I can’t really think of any civilian use. Maybe it could be used in reconnaissance robots, for navigation for them, but it would be a totally different application,” Charvat said.
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