Heriot-Watt University Engineers Capture 3D Images From A Kilometre Away!

Using a low-power infrared laser, the Heriot-Watt University engineers have been successful in capturing high-resolution images with 3D details by stationing their system from a distance as long as one kilometre. This time-of-flight (ToF) imaging system is able to record the round-trip flight time of the laser photons as they bounce off the object and arrive back at the source. So, the basic principle lies in counting the individual photons using a detector that can resolve the depth at millimeter scale!

It is just amazing to see the capability of this system to capture images through items such as clothing that do not easily reflect laser pulses. We can only begin to think the applications this system will have.

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The ingeniously good thing about this innovative system is the use of long wavelength (1,560nm) of the laser light, making it redder than visible light and strongly advantageous - because it travels more easily through the atmosphere, sunlight doesn't drown it, and is eye-safe even at low power. The scanner & detector's ability to identify objects kept behind clutter is truly awe-inspiring and though right now it isn't capable of rendering human faces perfectly, it works better with perspiring human skin - because its reflectivity changes under different circumstances.

The team is now looking forward to making their imaging system work faster by using a solid-state drive, a higher specification computer and more dedicated processors. We can't wait to know the results they will derive!

On a closing note, the engineers interested in learning more about the system can check the research paper published in Optics Express by the University's Research Fellow Aongus McCarthy.

Via: #-Link-Snipped-#

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