Researchers have designed a prototype of an imaging system that can read a closed book, according to the latest issue of Nature Communications. The researchers tested the system on a stack of papers, each with one letter printed on it. The system exploits the 20-micrometre deep air pockets trapped between the pages of a book. A standard terahertz camera emits ultrashort bursts of radiation, and the camera’s built-in sensor detects their reflections. From the reflections’ time of arrival, the MIT researchers’ algorithm can gauge the distance to the individual pages of the book.

Source: Mint September 25, 2016 18:00 UTC