MIT is a known name for all things advanced beyond imagination of many. In this latest development, researchers at MIT have developed an ultra-fast camera which blinks so quickly that it can actually see the light moving. And captures this movement.
This camera incorporates a very advanced technology as well as an intelligent technique by the researchers. It is capable of capturing one trillion frames per second!! And through the camera, one can actually see light moving, unfolding as it moves on it’s path. Light comprises of photons, small packets of energy, that travel so successively that they appear like a streak of light.
The camera uses a total of 500 sensors to detect the motion of an object. In this way, it takes still pictures and can discern the movement of photons through it’s trillion-frames-per-second speed capability.
Originally, the camera was developed simply to note the wavelengths of light. The apparatus consists of a special camera called a ‘streak’ camera and some mirrors. The light which is used for motion-detection is emitted by a titanium sapphire laser. Once the camera captures multiple frames of the photons, these are then compiled together, through an algorithmic function, in the computer. This gives a seamless two-dimensional video that clearly shows the movement of these particles.
Although for now the camera is being used on light wavelengths, researchers are of the opinion that this innovation can lead to a huge advancement in medical imaging and video-capturing. However, such high-tech camera has it’s uses only in the commercial realm for now and for a common user, it’s barely something that can be used in everyday shooting.
Image courtesy Adam Baker.
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