Smartphones can see through corners

Digital cameras can see around corners using the reflected light and shadows of objects cast on a nearby wall, experts have found. AI software designed by a the team of engineers from Boston University turns an ordinary camera into a type of periscope. It uses an algorithm to decipher data captured by the lens, recreating hidden objects in impressive detail. In a demonstration the team showed that they could use walls as mirrors to reconstruct things hidden from direct view in less than one minute. This has previously only been achieved with specialist optical systems at high cost, but this simpler technique represents a major advance in viewing obscured objects.