THEY were once the preserve of superhero comics and 1950s’ B-movies but a team of Scottish scientists claim they are on the brink of producing the world’s first pair of x-ray spectacles.

Researchers at Glasgow University believe a breakthrough in the study of radiowave generation will allow them to produce goggles that will give wearers “superhuman” vision, allowing them to see through clothes and inside suitcases.

The scientists claim the devices would provide far more detailed images than conventional x-ray scanners and say they could allow wearers to differentiate Semtex from modelling clay and cocaine from sugar, making them a useful tool for policing, counterterrorism and airport security.

The goggles would emit terahertz radiation, ultra-fast beams of light, which would bounce off the object being viewed and return to the spectacles where they would create a detailed image on the inside of the lens.

The waves, which would be fired through specially engineered crystals to create three-dimensional pictures, pass straight through “flimsy” materials such as cloth, paper and plastics but cannot penetrate dense material such as flesh or metal.

Objects such as knives, guns and other weapons would be seen clearly through the goggles while clothing would be made invisible.

“With terahertz imaging it is possible to see the body beneath the clothes, not just the bones you see with x-rays,” claimed Dr Tim Drysdale, of the university’s department of electronics and electrical engineering. “It is the pattern of reflection and absorption of terahertz waves that builds the image. The depth of the structures can be calculated by the tiny time delay between the wave being emitted and reflected back.”

Different materials have a unique “terahertz fingerprint”, allowing the molecular composition of dangerous and illegal items such as explosives and drugs to be identified quickly.

“Different molecules absorb and reflect terahertz waves in a recognisable way,” said Dr David Cumming, Drysdale’s co-researcher. “They have a kind of terahertz fingerprint and this is particularly useful for rapidly identifying the make-up of drugs and other substances.”

Dr Don Arnone, chief executive of TeraView, a Cambridge-based research company specialising in terahertz waves, said: “In future, in airports and other sensitive places I can envisage bags being scanned for their fingerprints.”

Scientists have already reduced terahertz scanning devices to the size of a shoebox. Further miniaturisation will allow “x-ray spectacles”, similar to night-vision goggles, to be created. “We are just three to five years away from having t-ray [terahertz] specs,” claimed Arnone.

According to the National Physical Laboratory, an independent research institute, terahertz radiation appears to be far less harmful than x-rays, which have been linked to cancer. However, there is one potential drawback; people appear naked in terahertz images, raising concerns about privacy.

“That is one thing already causing difficulties for some people,” said Professor Malcolm Dunn, of the University of St Andrews, who is also researching terahertz waves.

“There are concerns about protecting people’s privacy and that is something which will have to be addressed in future.”

It was this property that prompted manufacturers of so-called X-Ray Spex to tout their $1 plastic glasses under the slogan “See the bones in your hand, see through clothes!” in the adverts in comic books. Much to the chagrin of successive generations of hormonal adolescent boys, the “x-ray” glasses they received only allowed the viewer to see slightly blurred images.

The idea of being able to see through walls and clothes inspired the cult 1963 science fiction film The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, in which a mad scientist drinks a serum that gives him extraordinary powers.

DETECTION PLAN

METAL detectors are to be introduced at railway stations across Scotland in a crackdown on knife crime, writes Mark Macaskill.

Transport police are to introduce the first detectors at Largs, Ayrshire, before rolling them out across the country. Passengers will be encouraged to walk through the airport-style scanners and anybody found carrying a knife or other weapon will be arrested.

The initiative is part of Operation Shield, which was piloted in London, Liverpool and Birmingham. So far, 156 people have been arrested and 164 weapons have been seized.

“Metal detectors will be an extremely useful additional tool to detect and deter anybody who thinks they can carry knives on the railway,” said Superintendent Ronnie Mellis, Scottish area commander of British Transport Police (BTP). A spokesman for the BTP added: “We chose Largs because there has been a problem with youth disorder in outlying towns nearby and there is a suspicion there could be a problem with knives.”

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