MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC DEVELOPS TOMOGRAPHIC IMAGING TECHNOLOGY

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation recently announced that it has developed what is believed to be the first industrial tomographic-imaging technology that uses a 300GHz terahertz wave for one-shot, one-direction measurements at any depth, suitable for low-impact scanning of biological organisms and moving objects with millimeter resolution.

X-ray scanning devices for such purposes are mainly limited to baggage screening in airports, train stations, stadiums, etc. to search for hazardous materials. Also, body-scan systems that use millimeter waves are large-sized because they require 180-degree measurements while the person remains stationary, so their use in public spaces is restricted mainly to airports. Other automated technologies for production and inspection lines are promising to help solve labour shortages, but existing scanning equipment that uses optical or infrared cameras is limited to visual inspection, so food containers, for example, still must be opened for manual inspection.

Mitsubishi Electric's new solution combines virtual focus-imaging technology, which uses terahertz waves that have little effect on living organisms and enables the tomographic imaging of objects with single irradiation in one direction, and multi-mode beamforming technology, which combines multiple images to reduce miss-detections. The system can image moving targets with biological organisms, making it suitable for walk-through security gates and non-destructive scanning on moving production lines. Furthermore, scanners can be made small enough size for installation in diverse locations.