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MIT Invents A Machine That Can Look At Batman's Face And See His Heart Beating

Thursday, February 28, 2013

By Robert Krulwich

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    (The New York Times / YouTube/)

My pal Erik Olsen at The New York Times has just described an extraordinary new way to look at people. You point a camera at someone, record the image and then, using an "amplifier," you can discover things you've never seen before.

Originally designed to look (but not touch) brand new babies, to monitor their breathing, Professor William Freeman's team at MIT realized their "Eulerian Video Magnification" technique can measure small color changes and very slight movements on the surface of a body to measure what's going on inside. You can point this machine at someone trapped in building collapse and figure out if he's still breathing. You can watch a Batman movie and see actor Christian Bale's heart beating!

"Once we amplify these small motions, there's a whole new world you can look at," says Professor Freeman.

That's putting it mildly.

You can find Eric's New York Times article here. Professor Freeman and his team describe their findings here.

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Source: NPR

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  • Robert Krulwich

    Robert Krulwich

    Robert Krulwich has been called “the most inventive network reporter in television” by TV Guide.

    His specialty is explaining complex subjects, science, technology, economics, in a style that is clear, compelling and entertaining. On television he has explored the structure of DNA using a banana; on radio he created an Italian opera, “Ratto Interesso” to explain how the Federal Reserve regulates interest rates; he has pioneered the use of new animation on ABC’s Nightline and World News Tonight.

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