3-D Sky Eye
Military jets need it now. Robots and cars will need something similar in the future: a rugged “vision” system that can produce sharp 3-D images of terrain contours and objects, day or night. This summer, researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, MA, made the first test flights of a 3-D laser imager that can do precisely that.
The new technology uses extremely fast infrared lasers and unique arrays of ultrasensitive light detectors. The laser-emitted light reflects off of objects, and the time it takes to return is measured by detectors, providing a 3-D image. The arrays capture 10,000 images per second and can detect even one photon, says Rick Heinrichs, physicist and group leader at Lincoln Laboratory.
That improves on existing 3-D laser imagers, which scan across a target and more slowly piece together an image, which limits resolution and the ability to visualize partly obscured objects through foliage, for example. What’s more, the new arrays “don’t have moving parts, making them ultimately cheaper and more reliable,” says Maris Juberts, an electrical engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, MD.
Of course, “it’s going to be a while before this goes to Detroit, because the costs have to go down,” says Heinrichs. But already, the airborne version of the imager is seeing the targets through the trees.
Keep Reading
Most Popular

Anti-aging drugs are being tested as a way to treat covid
Drugs that rejuvenate our immune systems and make us biologically younger could help protect us from the disease’s worst effects.

A quick guide to the most important AI law you’ve never heard of
The European Union is planning new legislation aimed at curbing the worst harms associated with artificial intelligence.

It will soon be easy for self-driving cars to hide in plain sight. We shouldn’t let them.
If they ever hit our roads for real, other drivers need to know exactly what they are.

Crypto is weathering a bitter storm. Some still hold on for dear life.
When a cryptocurrency’s value is theoretical, what happens if people quit believing?
Stay connected

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.