Advanced Photo Technique Allows Regular Cameras to Shoot Images in Blind Spots

Person taking a photo with a professional camera

CornerCameras lets you take pictures of objects in blind spots

The MIT researchers developed a technology which allows a regular camera to take photos of objects hidden around the corner. Thanks to a special imaging technique, the camera becomes able to analyze the shadows of objects hidden in blind spots, and create an image based on these observations.

Shooting images even in blind spots

This revolutionary photo system is called CornerCameras, and lets you shoot blind corners that sometimes not even the human eye can see. This system is equipped with sensors which perceive the slight changes in light which affect the shadow of an object. Then, according to the shadow captured by the camera, the system can make up what should be hidden around the corner.

CornerCameras captures small 1D images, and puts them all together, revealing the shape of objects in blind spots, as well as its speed or direction. If this technology gets perfected, it might have valuable applications, in the self-driving car industry for instance.

The system needs plenty of light to take photos

The technology makes use of the movement of objects to detect their shape and trajectory. By seeing how this motion affects their shadow and the penumbra which surrounds them, the camera can build up a complete image of objects even when they are in blind spots. Also, CornerCameras uses walls and obstacles as natural cameras, exploiting their optical properties.

You don’t need a highly sophisticated camera for the technology to work, as it is suitable for any kind of smartphone. Also, it can capture blind spots both inside and outside, and not even rain can stop it. However, the system still requires quite a lot of light to be present. At the moment, researchers are working to perfect it in a low-light environment, as well as in a dark one. Even shifting lights might disturb its well-functioning, so there’s room for improvement.

Image Source: Pexels

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Karen Jackson

Karen Jackson has always been passionate about technology. All the way through high-school she immersed herself in computers and web-design. Her ambitious nature helped her become a pro in Adobe Photoshop only by watching online videos and working with the program herself. This is also the program that she mostly uses in the creation of websites at her work-place. Technological innovation and gadgets that push the boundaries of what we are comfortable with have always fascinated her, so expect to see some weird gadget reviews coming from her.