It would seem that the game of espionage has just been gifted a brand new tool. Photographic and audio recoding devices have been, and will likely continue to be staples in the world of spy games, and with each new tech development, that game gets more and more intense, and perhaps, more and more sinister. Now, a team of MIT scientists have managed to use their considerable brain power to visually record the tiniest of vibrations of everyday objects such as a bag of chips, or a potted plant, and reassemble the sound that caused those vibrations into highly recognizable and intelligible sound.
[REWIND: The Nikon D4S – Does It Not Live Up To Expectations?]
How does this happen? Well, I can only but briefly and without much depth, explain from a layman’s perspective. Essentially, any sound produces waves that travel from the point of origin though out whatever fluid is around, be it air, water etc. When these waves contact another object, it moves them to the slightest degree, even around five thousandths of a pixel. These movements are tracked by a high speed camera, or even rolling shutter on typical cameras, and when combined with algorithms (probably from the likes of David Blaine), proper audio can recorded.
While most of the recording was done from a high speed camera, shooting from 2 to 6 thousand fps, which is apparently faster than the frequency of audible sound, it was perhaps more impressive that audio could be recorded from cameras shooting just 60 fps. It really is just incredible. I would highly recommend going to MIT’s site to learn more, and I’m sure the video below will impress you enough to do it.
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yeah that’s science!! ^^ :D
Interesting and scary!
Our black ops have been operating with lasers pointed at windows while a conversation is at the other side of the glass, from as far away as a football field. This visual method would add another layer of armamentarium to their cloak and dagger toolchest. For the rest of us, it’s probably used more for the business of the heart.
How will this challenge the existing privacy rules ?
Can Cheaters be busted on TV reality show ?
Without the words, I always get confused with Queen’s “Under Pressure” with Vanilla Ice “Ice Ice Baby”.
But that’s scary about what can be heard without microphones.
Careful what you say when you are around a potato chip bag. Or a potted plant… this will be more fuel to the fire for all the crazies…
Amazing. Not sure how useful it is for most people but it is certainly interesting what modern equipment can do.
Can anyone think of possible applications?
Espionage
We used a similar technology to confirm Bin Laden.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_microphone
Interesting.
*Great
Grear article Kishore I love it… quite interesting