Analog
Lifer
Technology to "look inside" concrete structures could not only monitor them for corrosion, but also locate the remains of murder victims, experts say.
It works using ultrasound, the same technique used in hospitals to monitor growing foetuses in the womb.
One of the systems being developed builds up quasi-3D images of the interiors of concrete structures.
Many were put up in the 50s and 60s and some are already approaching the end of their design lives.
But the technology could also have a potential application in police investigations.
Since the late 1980s, Cambridge Ultrasonics has been working on ways of using ultrasound to inspect concrete structures for signs of corrosion.
A version of its technology, licensed by UK firm Sonatest, seeks to generate images from interiors.
It uses an array of up to six transducers to fire sound waves into the concrete from different angles. The transducers then collect echo-waves returning from within.
Software then helps build the raw data into a pseudo-3D image of the interior. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4336052.stm
It works using ultrasound, the same technique used in hospitals to monitor growing foetuses in the womb.
One of the systems being developed builds up quasi-3D images of the interiors of concrete structures.
Many were put up in the 50s and 60s and some are already approaching the end of their design lives.
But the technology could also have a potential application in police investigations.
Since the late 1980s, Cambridge Ultrasonics has been working on ways of using ultrasound to inspect concrete structures for signs of corrosion.
A version of its technology, licensed by UK firm Sonatest, seeks to generate images from interiors.
It uses an array of up to six transducers to fire sound waves into the concrete from different angles. The transducers then collect echo-waves returning from within.
Software then helps build the raw data into a pseudo-3D image of the interior. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4336052.stm
