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MIT Research Amplifies Invisible Detail In Video

Posted by Soulskill on from the now-many-times-more-invisible-than-before dept.

An anonymous reader writes "MIT researchers have invented an algorithm which is able to amplify motion in video that is invisible to the naked eye — such as the motion of blood pulsing through a person's face, or the breathing of an infant. The algorithm — which was invented almost by accident — could find applications in safety, medicine, surveillance, and other areas. 'The system is somewhat akin to the equalizer in a stereo sound system, which boosts some frequencies and cuts others, except that the pertinent frequency is the frequency of color changes in a sequence of video frames, not the frequency of an audio signal. The prototype of the software allows the user to specify the frequency range of interest and the degree of amplification. The software works in real time and displays both the original video and the altered version of the video, with changes magnified.'"

8 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Obvious application by BitterOak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Privacy-violating nudity scans.

    We already have technology for that: Backscatter X-ray and millimeter wave scanners. You can find them in most major airports.

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  2. Enhance! by Bill+Hayden · · Score: 4, Funny

    n/t

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  3. Everything by Sparticus789 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Now every recording device has the potential to become a lie detector.

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  4. Cool for Interviewers, Card Players by mooboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For employers, or even police: you could easily detect emotional flushes in someone's face when asked certain questions, i.e., a lie detector of sorts. Also, think poker players with this software built into their "Google Glasses".

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    1. Re:Cool for Interviewers, Card Players by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I, for one, would love to see a poker tournament where all of this stuff was legal. It would have to take place on a separate circuit, but currently the top strategies are 'don't act emotional and wear dark sunglasses'. This would take things to the next level, so you might as well throw in real-time simulation outputs, probabilities, heart-rate monitors, histograms, etc, all available to each player in real time. Put a thin layer of lead paint on the backing of each card and you're good to go.

  5. Re:Invented? by Bill+Dimm · · Score: 5, Informative

    I didn't RTFA or watch the video (good /.er and Flash disabled, respectively)

    If you click through to the article they have HTML5 videos served from YouTube there, so there is no need for Flash. Why Slashdot is still embedding videos as Flash is a mystery to me.

  6. Uncrop! by Sabriel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Red Dwarf - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUFkb0d1kbU

    I mean, if you're going to break the laws of physics, might as well go for broke. :)

  7. Re:Old by catmistake · · Score: 4, Informative

    In fact, there's already a bloody iPhone app!

    For the love of Pete!! Pulse oximetry is not the same thing! Will ignorance ever tire of dismissively posting wildly inaccurate information to slashdot summaries??!!

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