It may sound bizarre—or like some kind of high school science fair project, but it’s not: Researchers have discovered that peeling adhesive tape ejects enough radiation to take an x-ray image. If they stick, the findings could set the stage for a less expensive x-ray machine that does not require electricity.

Lead researcher Carlos Camara, a physicist at the University of California, Los Angeles, reports in Nature today that his team captured x-rays of a finger on film (positioned behind it) by using a simple tape-peeling device (placed in front of it).

How is that possible? It turns out that radiation is released when tape is ripped from a surface. The reason, says Camara: electrons (negatively charged atomic particles) leap from a surface (peeling off of glass or aluminum works, too) to the adhesive side of a freshly yanked strip of tape, traveling so fast that they give off radiation, or energy, when they slam into it.

The result of this process when recorded by radiographic film is a fuzzy x-ray of the finger bone of physicist Seth Putterman, who runs the lab in which it was made.

Now, that is absolutely mind-boggling.




  1. EvilPoliticians says:

    Yet another use for duct tape! Stronger xrays!

  2. The Monster's Lawyer says:

    Finally I’ll get a pair of those x-ray specs that really work!

  3. JimD says:

    What about the light from WinterGreen LifeSavers ??? XRays ??? Also “triboluminescence” …

    http://tinyurl.com/57722m

  4. moondawg says:

    Sweet! Next time I go to the dentist, I get a shave and an Xray!

  5. boru says:

    For years, working in a darkroom, I’d always be amazed seeing little sparks while peeling the masking tape off film to unattach it from the film canister’s spool in order to develop it.

    Once developed, the film emulsion clearly showed results of the miniature sparks exposing the film at the spot the tape had been attached.

    Kind of reminded me of the Charles Schultz Peanuts cartoon in which Marcia explains that triboluminescence is the reason little sparks occur when wintergreen candy is chewed.

  6. Genuine240 says:

    Are you sure they didn’t use the radioactive elevator buttons first? 😉 (from a previous Dvorak post)

  7. Paddy-O says:

    “Now, that is absolutely mind-boggling.”

    Not really. Do the tape thing in a dark room. There is so much electron displacement that it sparks.

  8. RayK2 says:

    Really cool, but I’m surprised no has blamed McCain or Obama for this yet.

  9. heehee says:

    it’s all McCain and Obama’s fault

  10. brendal says:

    Only to those who don’t have a simple background in science.

  11. EvilPoliticians says:

    Biden warned us this would happen

  12. EvilPoliticians says:

    Palin says this is just darn gud ol’ American can-do spirited innovation!

  13. JimD says:

    # 9 RayK2, Well we know the DUCT TAPE AND PLASTIC SHEETING are all DUMBYA AND PRICK CHENEY’S FAULT !!! Got yours handy? Maybe you can make XRays too !!!

  14. MADGeek says:

    Before anybody starts a class action lawsuit against 3M or any other tape manufacturers, I want to point out that the researchers also found that this only occurred when the tape was in a vacuum. No X-Rays were detected when peeling the in a normal environment. It would be prudent if Eideard could add this to the bottom of the post on the main page.

    Now if someone can come up with an inexpensive, low energy X-Ray detector, big enough for human X-Rays this could have huge implications for use in Third World medical clinics.

  15. sargasso says:

    #5. i’m laughing so hard my mouse is shaking

  16. hhopper says:

    Science Friction??? Har!

  17. LordLundar says:

    *looks at hairy legs*

    Oh good lord please don’t break…

  18. GF says:

    I can see it now. “I got cancer from wrapping Christmas presents. That’s why I called The Wolf, 1-800-NEW-SCAM. They only take 90% if they win. Their associate/newbie intern wannabe lawyer was so nice I was just sad that I couldn’t give him/her/it the present they deserve because of those EVIL tape companies.”

  19. Glenn E. says:

    This story reminds me of the one about the electric force field discovered by works at a 3M manufacturing plant. http://www.scansite.org/scan.php?pid=203

    This is the same polypropylene that’s used to make adhesive tape. So chalk up another use for it. What’s next, sticky tape powered Star Trek Phasers? Kirk: “Scotty, we need phasers now.” Scotty: “Sorry captain, but the roll just ran out.”

  20. Glenn E. says:

    Hey, wow! This could really save Polaroid’s ass. Hand cranked X-Ray machines for the 3rd World. So the pics are a little fuzzy. Weren’t all of their cameras’ snaps?

  21. adhestape says:

    Automotive manufacturers and suppliers are among tesa’s most important industrial customers internationally. tesa offers professional solutions for protection during transportation, protection of delicate surfaces,permanent fixing and noise insulation.


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