[cnet.com by Tim Hornyak]

Remember those X-ray glasses advertised in the back of comic books? Imagine a handheld camera that can reveal the unseen, inner structures of everything from concrete bridges to body parts.

Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology under engineering professor Reza Zoughi have developed a patented device that can show the inner structures of objects in real time by using millimeter and microwave signals.

Potential applications include the detection of cancerous skin cells, termite damage to buildings, or concealed weapons at secure zones like airports.

The tech could also be used for finding “defects in thermal insulating materials that are found in spacecraft heat insulating foam and tiles, space habitat structures, aircraft radomes and composite-strengthened concrete bridge members,” Zoughi was quoted as saying in a release.

The prototype camera has been in development for several years–check out the vid below, from 2009.

In its current form, objects have to be placed between a transmitter for the microwave radiation and a collector. It can run for several hours on a laptop-size battery.

The researchers are planning to upgrade it to a single unit that works more like a video camera, according to the university. It may eventually produce “real-time 3D or holographic images,” Zoughi said.

That would be pretty nifty. Can X-ray glasses be far off?

Read the original story here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20040812-1.html?tag=mncol;4n

[cnet.com, by Steven Musil]

Warner Bros. is apparently hoping to attract new fans by offering movies for viewing on Facebook.

The movie studio announced this evening it would begin testing a program that would offer movies for sale or rental for a brief period through its fan pages on the social-networking giant.

Beginning tomorrow, Facebook users can use Facebook Credits to rent “The Dark Knight” through the movie’s official fan page on the social-networking site, Warner said in statement. The movie can be rented for 30 Facebook credits or $3, and Facebook users will have access to the movie for 48 hours through their accounts on the social network.

Facebook Credits is an alternative payment option for more than 150 games and applications on the social network. It’s supported by games such as FarmVille and Mafia Wars, as well as Bejeweled Blitz and Madden NFL Superstars. Most titles still allow gamers to pay with credit cards, but it’s Facebook’s hope that eventually, users will buy all virtual goods with Credits.

The studio sees the social network as fertile ground for video on demand–considered a key revenue source for Hollywood studios grappling with falling box office receipts and lagging DVD sales.

“Facebook has become a daily destination for hundreds of millions of people,” Thomas Gewecke, president of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, said in a statement. “Making our films available through Facebook is a natural extension of our digital distribution efforts. It gives consumers a simple, convenient way to access and enjoy our films through the world’s largest social network.”

For Facebook, the program dovetails with the notion that it could someday supplant corporate Web sites, a scenario outlined by Stephen Haines, commercial director of Facebook’s U.K. operation, at a conference in London earlier this month.

Facebook representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In addition to being able to pause the movie and resume it at their leisure when they log back in to Facebook, Warner Bros. said users will still be able to post comments on the movie and interact with friends on the network while watching their selection.

The program is currently available only in the U.S., and additional titles will be added on a regular basis over the coming months, Warner Bros. said.

See the original post here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20040420-93.html?tag=mncol;txt