When we take a photo we may not realize that our eyes reflect our surroundings. Just like little mirrors. A group of researchers at the University of Maryland have exploited this idea in a surprising way, developing a system that creates three-dimensional scenes from a simple glance.
The mirror of the world is in our eyes
Using a camera to capture a series of images of the eye and combining these images with the latest innovations in the field of vision and 3D graphics, researchers have succeeded in recreating what a person was observing, transforming it into a three-dimensional scene.
One of the key elements of this innovative technique concerns movement. Like a film made with a moving camera, perspective changes from natural head movements help bring a three-dimensional scene to life. Basically, while we observe the world around us, our head moves slightly. And when it does, it offers a series of slightly different images, just like a video camera shooting a scene from different angles would.
The iris, a challenge for technology
In training their neural network (a sort of artificial brain that learns to perform a task on its own) the researchers had to deal with the complexity of the textures of the iris, the colored part of our eyes.
To overcome this snag, they used optimization techniques that allowed the neural network to better understand the images, a bit like when we refine the focus of a camera.
Breathtaking results… and a little scary
The results obtained are surprising. The researchers were able to recreate three-dimensional scenes using data collected both from human eyes of various colors and from artificial eyes. The examples of these reconstructions, shared online, they are really impressive and a little disturbing.
Importantly, these results were obtained in a laboratory setting, under ideal lighting conditions and with intentional head movements. Reconstructing a scene using photos taken under real conditions could present a bigger challenge. However, the progress made so far suggests that, in the future, this technology could also find applications outside the laboratory. Where? I don't know. Forensic analysis comes to mind.
The eyes of the law
This research reminds us that human eyes are a valuable source of information about the world around us. It is not difficult to imagine that this technology could be used in the legal field, for example to reconstruct a crime scene where traditional evidence is lacking or absent. If you think this is a distant idea, remember that reflections have already been used as evidence in some court cases.
If you are curious to know more, the research team has published an article, entitled “Seeing the World through Your Eyes”. Find it here.
