Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas and Seoul National University have developed an imager chip inspired by Superman's X-ray vision that could be used in mobile devices to make it possible to detect objects inside packages or behind walls.

Chip-enabled cellphones might be used to find studs, wooden beams or wiring behind walls, cracks in pipes, or outlines of contents in envelopes and packages. The technology also could have medical applications.

The researchers first demonstrated the in a 2022 study. Their latest paper, published in the March print edition of IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology, shows how researchers solved one of their biggest challenges: making the technology small enough for handheld while improving image quality.

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