This New Laser Technology Might Help You See Through Walls

Whether it’s a child running after a ball, a herd of cows or a broken-down car, unexpected obstacles can prove deadly to drivers.

A team of researchers has come up with a new laser-based system that efficiently produces images of objects that are hidden around a corner - a development which could allow autonomous vehicles to see obstacles before they come into the line of sight.

The idea involves sending laser pulses towards a surface and measuring the time it takes for light to be reflected. But the new technology takes the idea further, using lasers to see around corners. The researchers used a setup in which a laser and photon detector were placed in front of a wall next to an object, and were separated from the object by a partition. Laser pulses were then fired at the wall at an angle and they wanted to collect light that bounced off the wall, hit the object and was then scattered by it.

While previous approaches to the problem have involved directing laser pulses at one point on the wall and then collecting signals from another point, Stanford researchers used a different technique, pointing both the laser and the detector at the same point on the wall. They used the timing of the signals to remove those from light that bounced back directly. The remaining signals were then rapidly processed using an algorithm to reconstruct the shape and form of the hidden object.

But there are still obstacles to overcome such as improving the system so it is better at detecting objects that are not highly reflective or stationary, such as children or wild animals, and make sure it can be used outdoors in bright, sunny conditions.