This Company's Tech Allows You to See Through Walls Superman-like vision may finally be a reality.
By Emily Price
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Company Vayyar used the CES show in Las Vegas last week to show off its new 3-D sensing technology, a breakthrough in 3-D imaging that allows you to see through a number of materials.
While your first thought might be a pair of high-tech see-through glasses to be used for spying, the technology is designed for anything but. Instead, the Israel-based company hopes to use sensors to help advance things like cancer detection. Using its imaging sensors doctors would be able to not only detect something like breast cancer but also get an accurate 3-D view of what tumor might look like, allowing them to make a more informed decision on treatment options.
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To work, it creates images by sending out a low-powered microwave signal, and then using its own algorithm to create an image based on the reflections from those signals.
While it could provide breakthroughs in the medical field, the technology is also used for things like looking through a wall to see structural issues in the foundation, surveying someone's location and vital signs while they walk through a smart home or food monitoring. The possibilities are endless.
The company has a working prototype of its wall scanner, something it is targeting at individuals who might want to do home improvements on their own. It works somewhat like a stud finder, and can show you where things like pipes and wires are behind your wall by running the device along it. That gadget is expected to be available later this year for under $300.
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Its breast-imaging technology is still in prototype form as well, but would work as a sort of shell that would be placed around the breast. Ten sensors arranged in a circle inside could then be used to create a 3-D image in just a few seconds. The tech is safer to use than traditional X-ray technology used in mammograms, and could ultimately cost less to run. Currently the prototype is going through clinical trials in Israel, with more slated to start soon.
Vayyar's technologies are backed by quite a bit of funding. In December it announced a $22 million Series B funding round, which was led by Walden Riverwood, as well as the lead of its Series A round, Battery Ventures. Other investors in the funding round include Amiti Ventures, Israel Cleantech Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners. The company has currently raised a total of $34 million, and plans to use its newest round of capital to help scale its enterprise offering.
As for when we might see it all hit the market that is a bit up to the partnerships Vayyar is able to find. While it plans on releasing the home scanner on its own (under a different name), it's hoping to find partners to bring some of its other solutions to market.
Check out the video below for some of the other use cases Vayyar has in mind for the tech.
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