TOKYO, July 9: The nuisance of mobile phones ringing in theatres and restaurants may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to special wood packed with tiny magnetic particles.

Japanese researchers have developed the “magnetic wood” to block microwave radiation, rendering mobiles useless. The electronic engineers, from Iwate University, in Morioka, believe sheets of the timber could soon be produced cheaply for the public.

Team leader Hideo Oka told the New Scientist magazine that anyone wishing to prevent people from using mobiles on their premises could use the wood in their interior design as a simple alternative to electronic signal jammers, which are illegal in the United Kingdom and some other countries.

Researchers thought of sandwiching fine particles of magnetic nickel-zinc ferrite between sheets of wood after various attempts to make wood impervious to the radiation.

Tests showed a 4-millimetre thick section of the special boarding would cut the power of the wave by 97 per cent.

A spokeswoman for the New Scientist said: “The wood-based shields could be used to make doors and walls for rooms or even entire buildings where mobile phones simply won’t work.”—dpa