MIT Camera (Photo : YouTube)
A camera that can see through walls like the gun scope in Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1996 science fiction movie "Eraser" has been developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers. The device's microwave wavelengths, which are longer than visible light allow them to enter objects that shorter waves just reflect off, could also be used to see in bad weather.
Media Lab's Gregory Charvat led the team that developed the MIT camera.
One big challenge the researchers had to tackle was the problem that occurs when the camera's fairly large microwaves hit objects that have the same size. It creates a mirror-like "specular" image.
The device illuminates a scene by using "flashes." They are 100 times weaker than a mobile phone's radio, and 10,000 times weaker than a microwave oven's, according to FastCoExist.
Each time the MIT camera fires these flashes from various areas, it takes a photo. As this process happens the camera's CPU syncs the several photos into one image.
Another interesting feature of the camera is that its sensor faces into a big reflecting dish, rather than towards the scene. The dish collects the microwaves and then focuses them onto the sensor.
Charvat's team demonstrated the new microwave camera by taking shots of a mannequin in different environments, including in the open, behind a sheet of drywall, and behind a piece of plywood. The resolution for all three shots was almost the same.
Researchers had also wrapped the mannequin in aluminum foil. This allowed the microwaves to go through the life-size human model.
The camera can take both 2D and 3D pictures. It does the latter by taking shots from several angles, and then piecing them together into a three-dimensional photo.
One practical application of the microwave camera would be to see inside the contents of unlabeled cardboard boxes piled up in a garage or attic, according to Beta Boston. It would eliminate the need to open up each box to check whether there are comic books, CDs, or hungry mice inside.
MIT's new camera has a $1,000 price tag. It is a still a bulky piece of lab equipment and each photo requires one hour to capture, but a smaller portable device could be available in the future.
Here is a first look at MIT's new microwave camera:
