Automakers, companies, and researchers have been trying to come out with cameras that help drivers see what's coming around a corner for years. But few, like Jaguar Land Rover, actually have something viable on the market. A few years ago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed a camera system called CornerCameras. Well, researchers from MIT are back with a new system that's meant to help autonomous cars see around corners. Perfecting Existing Technology CornerCameras, which came out in 2017, is a system that researchers from MIT came up with that focused on shadows.

Artificial intelligence that allows self-driving cars to detect people and objects hidden around blind corners has been developed by researchers at MIT. The imaging system--dubbed CornerCameras--was built by AI researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) for seeing around obstructions using standard camera technology. Using information about light reflections, MIT's artificial intelligence system is able to measure the speed and trajectory of hidden objects in real time using footage from smartphone cameras. "The technology has a range of applications, from firefighters finding people in burning buildings to self-driving cars detecting pedestrians in their blind spots," an MIT spokesperson tells Newsweek. "What's impressive is that this approach works using footage from a smartphone camera, such as an iPhone 8." The artificial intelligence system can be used on footage filmed with a smartphone.

Seeing through walls and spying around corners may sound like a superpower, but advances in technology are now making this a reality. A system, dubbed CornerCameras, developed at MIT, uses smartphone cameras to peer round corners and check what's on the other side. The ability to see around obstructions could help firefighters find people in burning buildings or enable self-driving cars to detect pedestrians in their blind spots. Seeing through walls may sound like a superpower, but advances in technology are now making this a reality. A system, dubbed CornerCameras, developed at MIT, uses smartphone cameras to peer round corners and check what's on the other side Most approaches for seeing around obstacles involve special lasers. Researchers shine cameras on specific points that are visible to both the observable and hidden scene, and then measure how long it takes for the light to return.

The CSAIL team's imaging system, which can work with smartphone cameras, uses information about light reflections to detect objects or people in a hidden scene and measure their speed and trajectory -- all in real-time. Specifically, researchers shine cameras on specific points that are visible to both the observable and hidden scene, and then measure how long it takes for the light to return. But by observing the scene over several seconds and stitching together dozens of distinct images, the system can distinguish distinct objects in motion and determine their speed and trajectory. The team was surprised to find that CornerCameras worked in a range of challenging situations, including weather conditions like rain.