The new technology and amazing possibilities offered by CTX imaging has been in the making for well over twenty years. During this time, the predecessors to CTX imaging were being developed primarily to assist with explosive detection. Today, the advancements have a whole world of possible uses, including helping to make the medical field more precise and better capable of making diagnoses. But, where did this CTX imaging technology come from?



The Start of CTX Imaging



The roots of CTX imaging can be traced back to the CTX-5000, which was developed in 1994. This technological breakthrough took nine years to develop and was the first to be certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for use in explosives detection.



The FAA spent over $90 million in the area of explosives detection at that time, with $8.6 million of that being specifically toward the development of CTX-5000. For the next three years, the device was used to help with detecting explosives in baggage systems.



By 1997, the CTX-5000 SP was developed. This advanced version of the CTX-5000 was better capable of checking baggage and was placed in many of the largest airports in the United States. By the year 2000, approximately 100 of the systems were put in place by the FAA.



CTX Imaging Becomes More Advanced



As more technological advancements developed, CTX imaging became more advanced as well. This brought about the CTX-5500DS. The CTX-5500DS was an automated system capable of detecting explosives with the help of computed tomography. This advancement made it possible to identify objects in checked bags, including items that could be used for making explosives. In addition, it can be set to identify other illegal materials and it is capable of checking 384 bags in one hour. Today, this is the most commonly used system in United States airports.



The CTX-5500DS soon led to the CTX-2500, which was a much smaller version of the device. In fact, this device can be mounted on a truck so it can be easily moved from place to place.



CTX Imaging Today



Today, the technology of CTX imaging has reached new plateaus. The CTX-9000 is the fastest explosive detection system to be certified by the FAA and is capable of handling 542 bags in one hour. It moves so quickly, in fact, that a slice image can be created in just half a second.



This advanced form of CTX imaging is also being explored by the medical community. The most recent advancements in CTX imaging have made it possible to create a 3-D image of a skeleton while it is still moving. In the past, taking such images would require either a standard x-ray machine or a CT scan. While a CT scan offers a better image than a standard x-ray, it requires the patient to be perfectly still in order to create the image.



With CTX imaging, the patient no longer has to be perfectly still in order to create a clean and crisp image. This will make it far easier for the medical professional to look at the skeleton of patients that are unable to stop moving or who are too young or mentally challenged to understand that they must stay still.