It’s only a matter of time before #X-ray becomes a thing on Instagram. The technology isn’t here yet, but it is moving that direction.
It’s reported that a startup in California called, Tribogenics with Darpa-funded research at UCLA is developing a ground-breaking method of producing X-rays devices the size of a portable phone. X-ray machines now are rather on the bulky side and haven’t changed much in their method of accelerating electrons through glass vacuum tubes and slamming them into material.
The scientists used minimal materials such as dental film, two rolls of tape, and a vacuum chamber and were able to produce the x-ray image of a finger. The technology will allow users to employ the devices by themselves (as a point source) or together. Earlier this year the company developed the MiniMAX (a mobile X-ray) camera that weighs less than five pounds and was used to show the inside of a calculator.
Would you believe there’s actually a bit of a race to put X-ray technology in the hands of teenage boys? The University of Dallas is working on a imaging chip that would allow for the “see-it-all” function in smartphones and small cameras.
The scientists have discovered how to tap into the “terahertz range” of visibility in the light spectrum and put it into chip manufacturing technology called CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Simiconductor). CMOS is already used in lots of technology like HDTVs, tablets, and smartphones.
While you might not have a X-ray capability with the iPhone 7, think about how foreign the concept of having a camera in your phone was 13 years ago. Smartphones at some point in the future may very likely have X-ray technology. And finally, we’ll be able to X-ray the junk of TSA agents for a change.
Photo Digital Trends