Cornering Cameras

Recently at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, a group pf engineers and researchers are working on a camera that can see around distant corners by using bursts of lasers at very fast intervals.  The laser shoots the lasers at a square area 1000pixels across and then the waves disperse and when they bounce back they are picked up and an image can be generated by the returning waves; it works in a way similar to how echolocation works. This is then done 67 million times a second and the results are averaged to generate an accurate image.  The data takes only 3 seconds to process and show a result.  It has the ability to track moving objects that are around the corner.  The device can even determine the size of an object around the corner with a margin of error of about 20%.  There are currently attempts to make the cameras even more precise by using filters to cancel out all wavelengths of light other than the wavelength of the light that is being emitted by the laser.

            The camera could prove to be extremely useful in many situations and if it were to be able to process and display the information faster the technology could be applicable in even more scenarios.  With the current abilities the technology possesses it could be useful to first responders to check for dangers around corners when responding to emergency situations to make sure they aren’t going to walk into a dangerous situation.  The device could also be useful to notify drivers of traffic around difficult to see corners and protect people from getting into dangerous accidents. If the technology were to be improved upon then it could be used in much more dangerous situation such as by police and military personnel during raids and other things similar to raids.

            The researchers are currently working to improve the technology and make it more useful for future use.  This technology could prove to be very useful and beneficial if used and developed well.