“I saw my death!”, So Anna Berta Roentgen allegedly exclaimed when she saw the world's first X-ray picture - a picture of the bones in her hand. It was her husband, the German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen, who discovered X-rays in 1895. The discovery of X-rays in the late 19th century spawned fantasies of spectacles in which you can see through walls - and clothing. And what and where?
The news that someone had found a way to look through skin and flesh to see the skeleton underneath without touching a human became an international sensation. Soon, X-rays began to reveal bones and even vague outlines of internal organs. The newspapers were littered with skeletons.
X-ray fantasies soon found their way into popular culture. They even wrote poetry. X-rays and imaging were both attractive and viewed as a kind of superpower. Superman comic book writers perpetuated this idea in the 1940s. They gave their hero - what do you think? - X-ray vision.
Since then, people have hoped that the miracle of X-rays will become available to everyone. Most often, they dreamed of x-ray glasses that could see through walls. But has anyone ever made this idea a reality? For a long time, it remained the fruit and seed of science fiction. Now, we may be as close as ever to X-ray glasses.
Months and years after Roentgen's discovery, there was apparently no lack of speculation about what X-rays (or X-rays, as they are called abroad) were capable of. In 1896, a magazine in Dundee reported on the thoughts of a local chief constable who was considering adapting X-rays "for detective purposes." A portable X-ray machine, similar to binoculars, could be used to spy on premises that sold alcohol without a license.
"There was a lot of gossip about X-rays in those days," says Keith Williams, senior lecturer in English at the University of Dundee. "One of the articles on electrical waves really ended with a scientific journalist talking about the ability to peer through walls and observe the most intimate actions of people."
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There were also some bizarre X-ray demonstrations. One exhibition promised visitors the opportunity to "see through a sheet of metal" or "count the coins in your wallet."
In reality, early experiments with X-rays were limited to medical and scientific applications. Practitioners were also pleased with taking pictures of full animal skeletons or fine-tuning techniques to create clearer images.
Roentgen himself experimented with the Crookes tube - a scientific instrument that accelerates electrons in a beam - we know it as an electron beam. A tiny fraction of the energy from this process is released in the form of photons. In the electromagnetic spectrum, the length of the photon waves determines their place, for example, radio waves, visible waves of light, or X-rays, as in our case. The fluorescent screen showed that the X-rays penetrated some materials, like muscles, and some did not, like bones.
Although the harmful effects of X-rays were soon discovered, the colorful promises of X-ray vision persisted. X-ray glasses were patented in 1906 and were successfully sold to comic book fans. Of course, they didn't use X-rays at all. They created the illusion of double vision by overlapping objects, sometimes not the most convincing.
In 1998, the promise of X-ray glasses faced an unexpected technological turn. Sony has launched a series of camcorders with night vision capabilities, a feature the company calls NightShot. Some enthusiasts said that under certain conditions, she can see what people have under their clothes. It was even rumored that Sony had to recall some of the models in order to silence the press; in reality, the firm just made some changes to the design of the cameras.
Yet night vision devices are still the subject of experimentation. A video has emerged on YouTube showing how a Sony camera released in 2002 can be modified with tape and an infrared filter to achieve the desired "X-ray" effect.
Night vision works by detecting infrared light that humans cannot normally see and not converting that energy into visible light waves.
Perhaps, in this example, clothing allows us to see more in infrared light, says Alistair Brown, product manager at UK-based night vision and thermal imaging firm Thermoteknix. He adds that infrared images can be very different from the broadband visible wavelengths that our eyes normally perceive.
Vince Houghton, a historian at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC and a former soldier, often used night vision and thermal imaging technology in the military. But he says the "X-ray" capabilities are severely limited.
“You can see through bushes and stuff like that, but not much more,” he says. "It is very difficult to illuminate a solid structure with infrared light."
But this does not mean that there is no need for such technology. In the end, she can allow the enemy to be seen.
So, has anyone already come up with such a device? It turns out, yes. While X-rays are impractical for everyone but specialists, military contractors have been experimenting with them for a long time. So long ago that the idea of a Chief Constable in Dundee in the 19th century is finally beginning to take shape.
“Early experiments with this resulted in bulky vehicles that could not be used tactically in a military or police operation,” explains Houghton. But now the police and military can purchase the MINI Z X-ray gun, a portable, easy-to-use X-ray device that allows you to peer into vehicles, rooms, bags and luggage.
"When the operator scans the target, a picture appears on the special tablet of the system in real time."
And yet the MINI Z will cost the average consumer $ 50,000, which is a lot. In addition, there are concerns that the use of X-ray devices by security authorities may pose a health risk to the general public. Similar concerns have been raised by the millimeter-wave microwave scanners currently in use at airports. And given the fact that operators can see people under their clothes, regulators have to go to great lengths to avoid fanning fears.
However, a much cheaper and safer technology that offers X-ray-like capabilities is already in your home: Wi-Fi.
Last year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a video showing how a self-assembled Wi-Fi router can be used to take a rough shot of someone - through a solid wall.
“When you send a wireless signal, it bounces off everything and the reflections go back to you,” explains Dina Katabi. Computer software can analyze signal reflections and create a snapshot of the object from which it is reflected. “We can see how people move in the space where they sit, how they walk and even fall, which is especially important for the elderly,” adds Katabi.
Houghton believes this technology has several potential uses.
“I know for a fact that this technology is already being used for building inspection,” he says. "You can check the entire wiring and structure with it."
Military and intelligence agencies may already be using advanced versions of this technology for surveillance.
"Everything you see on the news is 10 years behind what intelligence agencies use."
And he adds that we may be on the verge of a dream come true: X-ray glasses. If smart glasses do become popular one day, it is not hard to imagine a future in which miniature X-ray machines will be incorporated into wearable devices.
Even Superman himself would be surprised.
ILYA KHEL