Seeing Around Corners
Researchers at MIT’s Media Lab have developed a camera that has the power to not only capture the movement of light, but also see around corners. While the technology is years away from commercial use, its prototype still amazes scientists.
The camera works by firing off a burst of light from a femtosecond laser that reflects off of surfaces onto objects that are hidden from the camera’s view. The duration of the bursts are so short that they are measured in quadrillionths of a second. After hitting the object, the light bounces back towards the camera and hits a detector on the camera, which is repeated millions of times to create a crude image of the hidden object. The detector measures the angle of the returning light and how long it takes each burst of light to return to the detector. The measurements are then put back together into an image that, while blurry, is easily identifiable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JWDocXPy-iQ
Even though the technology has yet to be perfected, the scientists are excited about its potential applications in the real world, including the ability to prevent car crashes, analyze a dangerous environment, or aid in surgeries. Below is a video released by the Media Lab showing the movement of light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkbr-FItV00
References
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/19/opinion/raskar-camera-corners/index.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-to-see-around-corners
