A camera that allows you to see through objects

Scientists from the University of Northwestern, in the United States, are developing a high resolution camera that allows you to "see through objects", and even potentially through the human body.

The study, published on November 17, describes a camera called "holographic".She interprets the refraction of light to reconstruct a precise vision of what is hidden by any obstacle.The prototype created currently makes it possible to carry out this reconstruction in 46 milliseconds."This technique transforms the walls into mirrors.What constitutes an advantage is that it can also work at night and in misty weather, "explains Florian Willomitzer, principal author of the study.

This specific field of study is called "non -line of sign" or nlos, in other words "imaging without direct visibility", in French.Science is therefore not at its first attempt, nor even in its first conclusive experience in the matter.So far, however, these imaging systems showed many limitations that drastically reduced possible fields of application.Whether in terms of image quality, speed or size of the field of vision, scientists behind this new project say that all brakes are now lifted.

A holographic camera with multiple applications

Thanks to its precision which goes below the millimeter and its speed of image retransmission, scientists are already projecting possible uses in many areas.One can imagine, for example, to use it in the field of road safety, to provide the arrival of a car at the corner of a street, or an animal tumbled on the road through the woods.On the medical side, this camera could supplement traditional imaging methods in a less invasive body.In the industry, dysfunction diagnostics could be facilitated, since it is quite possible to use the tool while the machine is still on the move ...

To allow us to see humans to see through obstacles, the invention of the team uses a "holography of synthetic wave".To capture these images of objects that are not directly accessible, researchers use a light dispersion system.A beam of light is sent by a laser, "bounces" on the object in question and returns to the camera.There, an algorithm is responsible for reconstructing an image of the object from the data transmitted on the scattered light zone.

But what data, exactly?The information that interests the device, it is above all the "travel time" of the light to the object.By calculating exactly how long has taken a radius to reach a surface, it becomes possible to "trace" its contours and its volumes precisely.The whole goal of the operation is therefore to intercept dispersed light and analyze its temporal information to reveal the hidden object.

A synthetic light "tailor-made"

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However, a problem remains when we talk about light and speed ... Light is well known, precisely, to go extremely fast.The risk was therefore that the camera needed very fast detectors, and therefore very expensive.To eliminate the need for quick detectors, Willomitzer and his colleagues fused the light waves of two lasers in order to generate a luminous wave no longer natural, but synthetic, which can be specifically adapted to holographic imagery in different diffusion scenarios.In summary, we can say that they created a "tailor-made" light wave for the needs of their device.

Seeing at the bend of a wall and seeing through the skin, does that seem a little too different to be honest?Not that much for scientists.In both cases, the light is faced with an intermediary that disperses it and prevents a direct image of the object targeted.Florian Willomitzer takes an example that everyone has already experienced at one time or another.When we place a light on the other side of his hand, we can see a luminous spot, which shows that the light "crosses", but we do not see the shadow of our bones.

It is precisely because the light is dispersed by the obstacle that constitutes our skin, our muscles, etc.., as she would be by a wall.However, as the diagram above shows, it is still possible to capture the return of the light rays passed in this "disperser" to make them speak.And this is not only visible light.Researchers already imagine what others could do using the same method applied to other wavelengths: “Our prototypes of current sensors use visible or infrared light, but the principle is universal and could be extended to D’Other wavelengths.For example, the same method could be applied to radio waves for spatial exploration or underwater acoustic imagery.It can be applied to many areas, and we have only touched the surface "...

Source : Northwestern University

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