UTD and Seoul National University Develop Superman-Inspired Imager Chip for Mobile Devices

Researchers, including electrical engineering graduate student Walter Sosa Portillo BS’21 (left) and Dr. Kenneth K. O, have made advances to miniaturize an imager chip inspired by Superman’s X-ray vision for handheld mobile devices.

Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas and Seoul National University have developed an imager chip inspired by Superman’s X-ray vision that could be integrated into mobile devices, enabling them to detect objects inside packages or behind walls. This innovative technology, which uses signals at 200 to 400 gigahertz instead of harmful X-rays, was first demonstrated in a 2022 study. 

The latest advancements, published in the March edition of IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology, address the challenge of miniaturizing the technology for handheld devices while enhancing image quality. Supported by the Texas Instruments Foundational Technology Research Program and the Samsung Global Research Outreach Program, the research took 15 years, improving pixel performance by 100 million times. Designed for close-range use to mitigate privacy concerns, the next iteration aims to capture images up to 5 inches away, potentially revealing smaller objects with greater clarity.

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