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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](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2022/01/13/f15d49fe-b4a8-4dae-b419-553369836454_f12d981f.jpg?itok=GRgtNkcR&v=1642077604)
A full-body scanner developed using space radar technology has been tested in China and produced unusually clear images through clothes, scientists say.
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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 new body scanner is smaller than its predecessors, at about the size of a dress mirror. Photo: Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2022/01/13/89bb4317-9081-4a61-ba8d-24f5cfc7aaa3_d3986f4a.jpg)
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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