DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A new kind of sensor could be
more efficient, versatile and cheaper to use in airport security
scanners and collision avoidance systems, U.S. developers say.
Researchers at Duke University reported in the journal Science a
new manmade metamaterial that can act as a lens to image scenes
using fewer components than conventional detectors. Using this
metamaterial means additional equipment needed for conventional
detector systems -- like lenses, mechanical positioners and data
storage or transmission devices -- are not required, they said.
The material, a thin laminate with row-upon-row of tiny squares
etched onto copper, each tuned to a different frequency of
light, is flexible and durable enough to be attached to a wall,
wrapped around corners or even laid on the floor like a rug,
making it an inexpensive alternative for a variety of sensing
applications, the researchers reported. The system works with
microwave light and produces two-dimensional images. "By taking
advantage of t