Chinese body scanner can see through 30 layers of clothing using space tech

The device’s ultra-high resolution is achieved by combining many small antennas instead of using one large one

It could find applications at airports and borders, where China is already using high-resolution body scanners

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Imaging capability was tested through different fabrics and thicknesses. Photo: Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics

Published: 10:30pm, 13 Jan 2022Updated: 11:02pm, 13 Jan 2022

A full-body scanner developed using space radar technology has been tested in China and produced unusually clear images through clothes, scientists say.

Its ultra-high resolution could help to identify concealed items with greater accuracy at security checkpoints, according to the researchers.

Tests of the tech suggested that, if used close to a person, it could see a logo on their underwear even if they were wearing a coat.

A team led by Professor Liu Jinsong at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan put a piece of paper printed with a thumb-sized letter “S” under five types of common garments, made from a range of natural and synthetic fabrics.

The new body scanner is smaller than its predecessors, at about the size of a dress mirror. Photo: Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics

The scanner produced crystal-clear images of the “S” for all of them – something existing scanners lack the resolution to do. It blurred as the researchers increased the number of layers, but remained identifiable through up to 30.

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