Outline image of the ETH lettering. (Image: Molerón M et al. Nature Communications 2015)
Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new method to differentiate very weak and short sound waves from longer ones. When used in acoustic imaging, their technology makes it possible to detect only the outline of objects. Reverberated sound can make objects visible. The sonar is used in the shipping industry to acquire information about the seabed or shoals of fish, while gynaecologists use ultrasound images to study foetuses in the womb. Material testing procedures that regularly check for fissures in rail tracks or aircraft support structures are also based on ultrasound. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now developed a new type of acoustic imaging device which, rather than producing a photorealistic image of an entire object, shows only its contours and edges. "This type of measuring method delivers similar results to the edge detection filter in an image-processing software, which allows the outline of prominent photo objects to be identified with the click of the mouse," explains Chiara Daraio, Professor of Mechanics and Materials.
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