Flexible, wearable terahertz scanner available

On the 14th, Yukio Kawano of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan and colleagues used carbon nanotubes to develop the first movable, bendable and wearable terahertz scanner capable of performing three-dimensional curling on the human body. Imaging detection. The relevant research details were published in the online edition of Nature Optical.

The terahertz ray corresponds to a frequency range between the infrared and microwave of the electromagnetic spectrum and can penetrate almost any material without causing damage. Therefore, the terahertz camera has a wide range of potential applications in non-invasive high-resolution imaging and can be detected. Hidden weapons, identification of explosives, and inspection of defects in mechanical components.

However, traditional terahertz imaging technology is made of inflexible materials and is only suitable for detecting flat samples. It is difficult to scan most three-dimensional coiled structures. Many THz scanners used at security screening sites need to be rotated 360° to capture all angles of the human body. This makes the security system too bulky.

Kawano and colleagues used the carbon nanotube film design to develop the first bendable terahertz imaging device that can detect all frequencies in the range of 0.14 to 39 terahertz at room temperature and can be wrapped for easy carrying. Using this imager, they successfully detected paper scraps hidden under multiple sheets of paper and metal coils in a stack of disks, and found a hidden piece of chewing gum inside the plastic box. They also identified metal impurities in the plastic bottle and tiny cracks in the syringe. The above results show that the new terahertz scanner can be used in industrial enterprises for rapid and multi-angle detection of non-planar products such as plastic bottles and pharmaceuticals.

In addition, they developed a wearable scanner and successfully detected the terahertz radiation emitted by human hands. Kawano believes that imaging a hand without external terahertz rays is an important step for medical use of the terahertz scanner. It can be used to detect various health problems such as cancer cells, sweat glands, and dental cavities in the future and monitor itself in real time. Daily health status.

Kawano stated that they will then integrate these new terahertz imagers and signal recognition circuits with wireless communication devices on a single chip to develop a high-speed terahertz monitoring system. After that, the development of real-time medical monitoring equipment will start.