
Backpack X-Ray Machine (2016) - aphrax
https://adammunich.com/backpack-x-ray-machine/
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celticninja
Is it an actual x-ray? Do we want people to be firing these off in public?

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aaron695
> Do we want people to be firing these off in public?

Once all 7 billion people have access to professionals then maybe we can ask
this question?

X-Rays were used for years to find peoples shoes size at shoes stores and no
one was harmed.

We have a lot more info on correct use now, so don't see the problem....

Other than amateurs need to do professionals job in this current world and the
professional are commonly fighting back to stop the greater good to keep their
wages high.

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JetSpiegel
> no one was harmed

Citation needed.

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aeternum
It very likely did cause harm:

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963031/pdf/brm...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963031/pdf/brmedj03132-0034.pdf)

[https://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/_WMS/publications/wm...](https://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/_WMS/publications/wmj/pdf/106/5/275.pdf)

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spyder
They are commercial handheld x-rays, probably a lot weaker than this but still
useful:

Handheld backscatter x-ray scanner HBI-120:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29kTvJKMtao](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29kTvJKMtao)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovqJpcaWD7o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovqJpcaWD7o)

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probabils
How can it get an image without a detector or something on the other side of
the object? Is it just capturing reflected back x-rays?

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AstralStorm
Yes, that's what backscatter means. (Incl. Reemitted) Usually this is more
accurate but requires higher doses (not necessarily received) for good quality
images, advanced processing and sensors. Used sometimes as backscatter CT or
in scintigraphy (looking at people who have been given radioactive contrast).

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atlasunshrugged
As someone totally unfamiliar with the space but interested in procuring a
very cheap X-Ray or similar product to help identify illicit products at
borders such as smuggled cigarettes, does anyone have recommendations on where
to look? Needs to be cheap, portable, and ideally with a long battery life as
power outages can be frequent

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oh_sigh
What is your situation that you want to identify smugglers but aren't part of
a government organization that can already source xray machines?

While this might be the most powerful handheld one(don't know, didn't verify
the authors claims), there certainly are already portable commercial scanners
available.

And one final thought - anywhere that has 1) smuggling problems, and 2) very
intermittent power will also almost certainly have high levels of corruption.
Getting scanners into the hands of backwater security personnel means nothing
if they only need a few packs of the smuggled cigarettes to not even turn them
on.

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mlevental
I love when people simultaneity have ignorant bias and reveal their biases
come from complete fiction.

1 not at all people that live in poor countries (have smuggling and
intermittent power) are amoral - some of them actually believe in the project
of nation building! therefore these cheap handheld detection devices would in
fact not "mean nothing".

2 no one accepts cigarettes (or blue jeans or sony walkmen or whatever else
your imagine) as payment anywhere outside of out movies. they take local
currency or dollar or euro. many smugglers are just as poor as the border
patrol they hope to evade so in fact they would be "turned in" for lack of
bribe money if caught by one of these devices.

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oh_sigh
1) I never argued bribery was amoral - that is your stance apparently, not
mine.

2) I've literally bribed people with cigarettes(and dollars, and booze, and
clothing). So your categorical statement is incorrect. I was mostly just going
along with the analogy though.

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argo_
What's the chance of having a cancer after using it?

Very interesting invention though.

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dmitrygr
100%. Even if you do not use it. You chance of getting cancer is 100%, if you
live long enough. It is the "default:" case in the "switch()" statement on
"what kills you".

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eukaryote31
The Aperture logo is a nice touch

