Missouri University of Science and Technology is resolved to make a handheld scanner that can see through anything. Similar to airport scanners, this hand held camera used millimeter and microwave signals to peek inside. In real time, this camera takes 30 frames per second and can construct a representation of objects at different layers. No word on the depth it can go, but the team calls it “non-intrusive.” Originally conceived Dr. Reza Zoughi in 1998, the first prototype was made in 2007. Since then the design has been made smaller and more portable. Currently the system runs off of a battery about the size of a laptop power cell. Zoughi said about the product’s future, “Further down the road, we plan to develop a wide-band camera capable of producing real-time 3-D or holographic images." As of 2010, this concept is patented. At the moment, objects to be scanned have to pass between the camera and a backplane. The team is hard at work to eliminate the pass through feature and just make it a camera. Although modesty will soon be a thing of the past, it is an impressive achievement.
Eavesdropper