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MIT's New Video Technology Could Give You Superhuman Sight

New Video Technology Gives You Superhuman Sight
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Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created "Eulerian Video Magnification" software, which amplifies subtle movements through video technology to reveal "hidden information" not visible by the naked eye, such as blood flowing through a face, or the human pulse. In other words, as noted in the video above, we might one day be able to take someone's vital signs purely by watching them via a video.

The team of scientists who developed the technology note that the human eye is often unable to detect small motions and subtle variations in appearance that can offer important clues about a person or object. Their hope, according to their paper, is to reveal those "temporal variations in videos that are difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye and display them in an indicative manner."

So how does this Eulerian Video Magnification work?

At its most basic level, their method "takes a video as input and exaggerates subtle color changes and imperceptible motions," which is done by "[magnifying] temporal color changes using spatio-temporal processing" -- in plain English, they've developed a way of using video to zero-in on small changes in color to whatever object they're studying, be it a camera or a child.

Here's how it works: The software takes a standard video and inserts "spatial decomposition," breaking the video down into several different layers. After applying a filter and reconstructing the layers, the video then shows what is "difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye." This magnification process pinpoints repetitive movement, and can intensify a specific spot on the video.

Imagine being able to track an elderly person's heart rate, or check on a baby's breathing just by watching them through a video. As the researchers' video (see above) demonstrates, their technology can illustrate something as subtle as the human pulse by tracking small changes in the color of a person's face.

This software is undoubtedly captivating technology, but could it be used in a hazardous or invasive way? Gizmodo suggests this "X-ray vision-style" video software could take surveillance to a new and extremely personal level.

MIT says they will be releasing the code soon, but in the meantime, watch the video above for further explanation and let us know your thoughts in the comments section. What do you think about getting super-human vision?

[Hat Tip: BuzzFeed and MIT]

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Before You Go

Google Experimental Projects
Gmail (2004)(01 of10)
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The now-ubiquitous Gmail -- Google's email product -- was unlike any previous email service when it was introduced in 2004. It featured way more storage space (1 GB per user), search capability within your email, and conversion view, which groups together all replies to the original message to keep the conversation in a single thread. It also included a built-in chat service. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this slide stated the Gmail was launched in 2007. It was actually launched in 2004.
Google Mars (2006)(02 of10)
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Google worked with NASA researchers to create a detailed, digital map of the planet Mars. Google Mars works similarly to Google Earth -- except you're navigating around a far-off planet. Users can explore regions, mountains, plains, canyons, craters and other elements.
Google Sky (2007)(03 of10)
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Google Sky, the outer space version of Google Earth, is a way to explore the sky from your computer or mobile device. Click the Sky button on the Google Earth toolbar and you can see constellations, the moon, the planets, and user guides giving information on each. And, of course, there's a search bar to locate whatever part of the sky you're looking for. If you're unfamiliar, this YouTube video gives a good guide.
Google Reader (2007)(04 of10)
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Google Reader is a web-based news aggregator. It utilizes RSS feeds and included sharing capability until October, 2011, when this feature was disabled and replaced with a Google+ button.
Google Moderator (2008)(05 of10)
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Google Moderator ranks user-submitted questions that come in during an online discussion. It was first created to help moderate the company's tech talks, and was later used by President Barack Obama's team to sift through Americans' questions for the newly elected president.It works like this: Participants can submit questions or ideas, and other participants vote on them. This crowdsourcing technique helps identify the questions and ideas with the most support or interest from the group. (credit:Google)
Google Body (2010)(06 of10)
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Google Body allowed users to navigate through 3D anatomical models of the human body. Google Body ceased operation in Oct. 2011 -- when Google Labs shut down -- and will relaunch as Zygote Body. Zygote Body will be a searchable, interactive 3D model of human anatomy. Check out this video for a look at the former Google Body. (credit:YouTube)
Google Docs (2010)(07 of10)
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Google Docs, a web-based office suite that includes word documents, spreadsheets and other formats, was innovative for a few reasons. One, the documents are accessible from any computer or device. Two, they're collaborative: You can share documents with coworkers or friends and read or edit them simultaneously. The docs also automatically save as you go, protecting the work from browser crashes or other accidents. Google Docs is a combination of two previous company projects: Google Spreadsheets and a web-based processor, Writely. There have been several iterations in the past five years, with the mostly completed version announced in 2010.
Google Goggles (2011)(08 of10)
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Google Goggles is on the cutting-edge of visual search. The product enables users to search with images instead of words -- basically you take a picture of something, and Google will recognize it and pull up search results on it. See a demonstration here. (credit:Google)
Google X (2011)(09 of10)
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A November New York Times piece gave a glimpse into Google's super-secret "Google X" lab, where the company is dreaming up innovative ideas for the future, like elevator that goes to outer space, driverless cars, and all manner of robots.In January 2012, Google announced an experimental lecture forum called "Solve For X," with an aim at solving "moonshot thinking." As Google explained in a blog post, the project will "take on global-scale problems, define radical solutions to those problems, and involve some form of breakthrough technology that could actually make them happen." (credit:AP)
Chrome Experiments(10 of10)
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Chrome Experiments showcases innovative, interactive and generally awesome things being built all over using JavaScript. Some personal favorites: Ocean Simulation and WebGL Globe.
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