THz Techniques for Enhanced Foreign Body Detection (TERASAFE)

Foreign body detection, i.e. the process of identifying and removing unintended objects from products, is a key step to ensure product safety and quality in many industries. For opaque objects, it is mainly done using X-rays. TERASAFE is aimed at developing a safe alternative based on THz waves. Unlike X-rays, which can damage DNA and increase the risk of cancer, THz radiation is non-ionizing, and therefore, there are no health risks associated with them.

The project will explore two approaches to enable THz imaging sensors to perform foreign body detection: spectral imaging to allow material density discrimination and intensity imaging for simpler, lower-cost systems for the detection of metallic or highly absorption materials. This will be carried out by developing an optical delay line for spectral imaging faster than commercially-available units and the use of new microbolometer arrays, and sub-THz transceivers combined with signal processing algorithms to extract information. Finally, the use of metasurfaces to enhance the performance of imaging systems will also be explored.

The project seeks to contribute to making THz inspection an attractive, competitive, and safer alternative to X-rays, pushing THz technology closer to becoming a commercial solution to many industrial problems.