Is there currently technology that senses the distance and density of matter and requires nothing be behind the object? If this device had the capability to graphically display this information I think that would impress more than anything else. You could scan for a broken bone, find lost objects in the grass (assuming they were more dense than the grass/dirt), or find studs or electrical wiring behind drywall in buildings.
Low-cost terahertz radar imaging [wikipedia.org] is going to be very useful in handheld devices. You really can see a short distance into many materials. Great for seeing pipes and electrical wiring in walls.
The day will come when that's a standard tool one buys at Home Depot.
Until that's working, a cooled IR imager would be useful. Those are great for finding heat leaks in houses, but currently cost too much.
Yes but will it also be able to analyze composition? I don't want a temperature probe; I already have that. I want to scan my soil and discover the nitrogen content, phosphor content, etc.
The killer feature (Score:3)
Terahertz radar (Score:4, Interesting)
Low-cost terahertz radar imaging [wikipedia.org] is going to be very useful in handheld devices. You really can see a short distance into many materials. Great for seeing pipes and electrical wiring in walls. The day will come when that's a standard tool one buys at Home Depot.
Until that's working, a cooled IR imager would be useful. Those are great for finding heat leaks in houses, but currently cost too much.
Re:Terahertz radar (Score:2)