Smartphone through walls

Smartphones can soon be equipped with the ability to look through walls, thanks to the next-generation image chip.

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Two California-based Caltech engineers invented a cheap, low-cost silicon chip capable of generating high-frequency electromagnetic waves, called terahertz waves (THz).

The new chip emits wavelengths at frequencies
THz, showing pictures of objects inside

These electromagnetic waves are located in the rarely used spectrum area, between microwave and infrared radiation. They are capable of penetrating objects without the use of dangerous X-rays, according to a Caltech press release.

When inserted into handheld devices, they can open a wide range of applications, from home security to wireless communications and healthcare, according to Photonics.com.

Using the inexpensive microchip technology commonly used in microchip production in today's mobile phones and tablets, we have created a silicon chip that is nearly 300 times faster than the average. often , "said Caltech Professor Ali Hajimiri.

Ali Hajimiri said the chips will produce a new generation of sensors.

The wavelengths of terahertz can easily penetrate surface materials and reveal images of hidden objects. Potential applications include the detection of drugs, chemical weapons or drugs and explosives.