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Scientists in the USA have developed a camera which can read the pages in a book – without even having to open it.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created the prototype machine, which uses terahertz radiation to peer through a book’s pages.
Terahertz radiation is between the spectrum of infrared and microwaves. Due to the reaction this type of radiation has with certain chemicals, the camera is able to detect the difference between ink and blank paper and even detect the 20-micrometer-thick air gaps between the pages of a book.
Using complex algorithms the camera then translates this data and can display what is written on the paper up to a depth of around 20 pages.
Laura Waller, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, said: “This work is one of the first to use these new tools along with advances in computational imaging to get at pictures of things we could never see with optical technologies. Now we can judge a book through its cover!”
The technology could be useful for a number of purposes including reading fragile ancient documents without touching them – and of course spying on other people’s letters.
