A US Army research wing is developing a 'ghost' imaging technique that will help increase situational awareness in the battlefield.
The new technique allows a high-resolution camera to produce an image of an object the camera itself cannot see using two sensors pointed in different directions, one at a light source and another at the object.
A computer programme then compares and combines the patterns received from the object and the light to create a black-and-white or colour picture known as a 'ghost image'.
Army Research Laboratory quantum physicist Ron Meyers said the object might be a soldier, a tank or an airplane.
A clearer picture of objects can be achieved by the new technique, which eliminates conditions such as clouds, fog and smoke, than with conventional imaging.
Using this technology, helicopters or unmanned aerial vehicles will be able to capture images that measure damage after a bomb is dropped.
