Seeing Around Corners Using Smartphone-Grade Lidar

(spectrum.ieee.org)

54 points | by marc__1 3 days ago ago

13 comments

  • mberlove 2 hours ago

    This specific finding is minor, but its implications are not IMHO. From the article it appears the researchers consider this a discovery in effect.

    If consumer hardware is already capable (in many settings) of reproducing what were formerly research-level and industry-grade techniques, it may be a transformation in more areas of technology than would be obvious. I am very curious to see if there will be further findings in this area.

    • momoschili 32 minutes ago

      This is a very natural progression of technologies that escape industry/defense to get into the consumer's hand.

    • libria an hour ago

      The military/LEO is probably already envisioning a Daredevil like helmet with augmented-reality lenses that overlay non-line-of-sight threats in real time.

      • deburo 15 minutes ago

        Didn't we already have a video of that? I don't remember the data sources used to generate the overlay, however. Was it multiple solders' helmets sharing their data, and/or perhaps even a drone from above?

  • aftbit 2 hours ago

    Smartphone grade lidar == FaceID ?

    • momoschili 31 minutes ago

      depends on what phone you have but LIDAR sensors are used for more than just faceID

  • ofrzeta 4 hours ago

    So this only works if you have walls opposite of this corner?

    • libria 4 hours ago

      It seems to require a lidar reflective object. Likely more generally, the effectiveness lowers the less objects there are to bounce and return signal.

      It could probably work with less accuracy/resolution against visible vehicles in the opposite lane, a hedgerow, postal box, pedestrian carrying a visible laptop and possibly synthesize all of these to improve its guess.

    • wongarsu 3 hours ago

      The video thumbnail implies bouncing off the ground, not a wall. Not sure how the geometry works out for that

  • cuechan 5 hours ago

    Why not just place a mirror at 45 degrees in the corner? That way you don't need the lidar but you can just look around the corner? It would also work better with the lidar.

    • devmor 5 hours ago

      I would be interested in seeing your visual mockups of how such a solution works on one of the article’s examples, like a car.