A new light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system is setting a new benchmark in facial detection, offering 10 times better image resolution than existing technologies and operating with twice the efficiency of comparable systems.
Developed through a three-way collaboration between Heriot-Watt University, MIT, and the University of Glasgow, the system can identify activity over extreme distances – even through obstacles like fog and camouflage.
Led by quantum photonics expert Professor Gerald Buller, the Heriot-Watt University team utilised equipment originally developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The study’s lead author, Dr Aongus McCarthy, highlighted the system’s ability to generate detailed 3D images in both daylight and darkness.
“For example, if someone is standing behind camouflage netting, this system could determine whether they are on their phone, holding something, or just standing idle,” McCarthy explained, pointing to potential security and defence applications.
Unlike traditional LiDAR, which measures distances using laser pulses, the research team achieved an unprecedented level of precision – measuring pulse travel time with an accuracy of around 13 picoseconds (one trillionth of a second). This allows for millimetre-scale depth variations to be detected from significant distances.
“This level of timing is phenomenal,” said McCarthy. “It enables us to distinguish between closely separated surfaces at very long distances, unlocking new possibilities for high-resolution imaging.”
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