InfraStructs: Fabricating Information Inside Physical Objects for Imaging in the Terahertz Region
We introduce InfraStructs, material-based tags that embed information inside digitally fabricated objects for imaging in the Terahertz region. Terahertz imaging can safely penetrate many common materials, opening up new possibilities for encoding hidden information as part of the fabrication process. We outline the design, fabrication, imaging, and data processing steps to fabricate information inside physical objects. Prototype tag designs are presented for location encoding, pose estimation, object identification, data storage, and authentication. We provide detailed analysis of the constraints and performance considerations for designing InfraStruct tags. Future application scenarios range from production line inventory, to customized game accessories, to mobile robotics.
InfraStructs: Fabricating Information Inside Physical Objects for Imaging in the Terahertz Region
How can the physical objects of tomorrow be embedded with information? As digital fabrication technologies, such as 3D printing, rapidly scale and expand -- how do these objects become readable and interactive in the digital world? InfraStructs, are material-based passive tags that embed machine-readable information in the interior of physical objects. InfraStructs combine the unique capability of digital fabrication to create one-off geometric structures, with the see-through ability of terahertz imaging to read volumetric information.