Scientists in China have developed a laser you can see something hidden behind a screen more than a kilometer away. The approach is called NLOS or nonlinear imaging and could help self-driving cars get better in the future.
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The technology (published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) was developed by a team of scientists at the Chinese University of Science and Technology. They applied laser emitter at the site of their university in Shanghai and about 1.43 kilometers away, they hid a mannequin behind a screen.
The scientists then placed a crushing laser on a wall inside the plane which then spread it in several directions. Many light particles shown on the hidden mannequin with some traveling to a sensor next to the laser transmitter, nearly two kilometers away.
Hidden objects in search of laser technology
The light particles or photons hit the mannequin then bounced back to the wall and kicked back for the last time before hitting the sensor. Analyzing the time it took for the light to kick against the wall once, researchers were able to determine how far each part of the mannequin was positioned from the wall in somewhat strange 3D image with the help of an algorithm.
They could find the hidden object based on photon travel time because the speed of light is constant. This was also able to detect various objects placed approximately 9.4 centimeters apart.
To address the issues that usually occur due to distance, scientists developed a laser transmitter and a sensor to use different telescopes that blocked signals between them. In addition, the sensor was equipped with several lenses to prevent stray light from being exposed to laser light particles while returning from the flat.
China University of Science and Technology
Researchers in the study say this feat is three times longer than it was previously possible to achieve, “This range is about three orders of magnitude longer than previous tests. The results will open pathways for the development of NLOS imaging techniques and applications relevant to real-world situations. ”
Researchers say this technology could help self-driving cars better locate other cars, pedestrians behind buildings. In addition, it may also be helpful for law enforcement to locate hosts in an unpredictable area of better preparation.