Researchers at Boston University have demonstrated a computer program that allows a camera to see details of objects hidden from view around a corner by analyzing shadows they cast on a nearby wall. Boston University researchers have demonstrated a computer program that turns a normal digital camera into a periscope, allowing the camera to see details of objects hidden from view around a corner by analyzing shadows they cast on a nearby wall. The program relies on algorithms that use the combination of light and shade at different points on the wall to reconstruct what lies around the corner. In testing, the program pieced together hidden images of video game characters, as well as colored strips and the letters "BU." Said Martin Laurenzis, an imaging expert at the French–German Research Institute of Saint-Louis, "The technique could be used by vehicles to avoid collisions, and by firefighters and first responders to look into burning or collapsed structures."

Science may never tell us what lies round the next corner, but researchers have come up with the nearest thing: a computer program that turns a normal digital camera into a periscope. In a demonstration of "computational periscopy" a US team at Boston University showed they could see details of objects hidden from view by analysing shadows they cast on a nearby wall. Vivek Goyal, an electrical engineer at the university, said that while the work had clear implications for surveillance he hoped it would lead to robots that could navigate better and boost the safety of driverless cars. He said: "I'm not especially excited by surveillance, I don't want to be doing creepy things, but being able to see that there's a child on the other side of a parked car, or see a little bit around the corner of an intersection could have a significant impact on safety." The problem of how to see round corners has occupied modern researchers for at least a decade.