dancingshadow
The camera would only be interested in light of the same wavelength as the laser source. I don't think any other light would affect it, unless the model was waving around the same laser.

memedumpster
Wouldn't a bright white light also include that wavelength? Unless the laser was pulse modulated, but it seems the scattering effect would mess that up?

Robin Kestrel
Yeah, but the laser would either need to be on the same side of the wall as the object being imaged, or else you'd need a convenient smooth reflective surface positioned at just the right angle to bounce the laser beam off, as in the video.

This sort of defeats the "sees around corners" aspect for most real-life applications of the technology. It's more like getting someone who is already around the corner to give you a description of what he sees, or catching a distorted reflection in a mirror. It's like visual radar, not x-ray vision.

I think memedumpster is talking about possible future refinements of this camera that might work with existing photons coming from around the corner, without the need to position a laser source. It would have to be a single steady source of light, and you'd have to know how far away it was, and the object being imaged would need to be stationary, as well.

But the end result might be the ability to extrapolate things not in the camera's line of sight, as seen in Enemy of the State and other Hollywood cheese ("Enhance! Now rotate the view!")

memedumpster
This will sound dumber than I normally do, but when I was a wee-tard I saw a movie with Robbie the Robot in it where he told a kid he could see around corners, but not through walls. For some reason, that always stuck with me and I spent a lot of time wondering how that could be possible.

dancingshadow
Robin: The wall need not be smooth, or at any particular angle. You want a surface that will scatter the laser in all directions.

White light is low power noise spread out over the spectrum. The reflected laser would show up as a blip in the power around that freq for a short period of time which this super speed camera can spot, I guess.

The software that reconstructs the image has gotta be pretty slick too.

memedumpster
You have obviously never thought of writing an 80's style science themed teenager movie!

Jet Bin Fever
Well, conceivably it could have a military usage, being able to detect the presence of an enemy hiding behind a wall. Pretty cool if you ask me.

Triggerbaby
All the MIT scientists slapping foreheads and saying why didn't I think of that.