So, when will the iPhone have this?

Using ultra-fast imaging and “echoes of light,” researchers have developed an innovative camera that takes pictures outside of traditional line of sight.

Short bursts of light that reflect off of different objects is key for researchers at MIT. They’ve named the process “Femto-Photography. It exploits the finite speed of light and it is part of what they call the “femtosecond transient imaging system.”

Applying a femtosecond laser, short pulses of light bounce around off of one object and on to another before reflecting back onto the original object where it is then captured by the camera. The bursts of light last for one quadrillionth of a second. Algorithms then reconstruct what is hidden.

According to MIT Professor Ramesh Raskar, the camera creates a “3D time-image” of the unseen image, by continuously gathering light and computing the time and distance that each pixel has traveled.

“It’s like having x-ray vision without the x-rays,” Raskar said. “We’re going around the problem rather than going through it.”




  1. jbenson2 says:

    “The research is still in the early stages of development but potential applications could include search and rescue, medical imaging, industrial building inspection and traffic collision prevention. ”

    This will be cool for SWAT teams.

  2. e? says:

    What happens when I combine it with my X-ray glasses?

  3. dusanmal says:

    Good example of novel things that can be done once huge computing power is at hand (this is not so much about reflections but about processing them).

  4. Palooka says:

    So when will the TSA buy one of these systems to see around your clothes?

  5. Olo Baggins of Bywater says:

    The military application seems interesting, too.

  6. chuck says:

    Batman already did this with his iPhone.

  7. Publius says:

    90% of MIT funding is Pentagon.

    So it’s not like the military applications are an afterthought.

  8. Counterweight says:

    Problem solved!

    Your name and details have to be provided to the TSA 24 hours in advance. They can go to your home and watch you pack!

    But they won’t save any images. (“Look at the size of that ‘personal’ massager!”

  9. Sparky_One says:

    Sonar in the visual range?

  10. Unconvinced says:

    I don’t buy it. Smoke and mirrors.

  11. noname says:

    There’s billion dollar cheaper alternative, it’s call a mirror!

  12. Yankinwaoz says:

    If they did this in the UV spectrum, then the people who think they are hiding out of site won’t know they are being observed (unless they have a UV detector on them).

  13. scadragon says:

    You’re being had. No such thing….

  14. deowll says:

    This might or might not work. You are going to need the right kind of surface to reflect that laser or bright flash of light off of.

  15. JimD says:

    What happens when the camera is moved ? Have to start over ? Not so good for mobile apps …

  16. Buzz Mega says:

    When you buy movies shot in this wonderful new format, you can steer your viewpoint off the actors and see everthing on the set.

  17. The0ne says:

    Meh, using the same tech from cloaking technologies. Nothing new.


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