A team at MIT's Media Lab has discovered that the LiDAR sensors already embedded in modern smartphones can be coaxed, through software alone, into perceiving objects hidden from direct view — seeing, in effect, around corners. The insight is as old as echolocation: as a device moves, the way light reflects off surrounding surfaces carries information about what lies beyond the visible frame. What changes here is not the hardware humanity has placed in its pockets, but the questions we have learned to ask of it. The implications — for navigation, rescue, augmented reality, and surveillance — re
Google News
· May 22, 2026
· technology
· 1 min read
High
Sourcing: Verified
MIT researchers enable smartphones to see around corners using LiDAR
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Technology
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Bias & Framing
⚖
Article presents MIT LiDAR research neutrally with multiple source citations, showing minimal bias in reporting emerging technology capability.
Bias Direction
center
Confidence
MED
Aggregation of multiple news sources presenting the same research finding, allowing readers to encounter diverse headlines and framings of the same scientific development.
may soon be able to track
Turn Everyday LiDAR Into an Around-the-Corner Camera
Privacy implications of seeing around corners
Security concerns with hidden object detection
Regulatory or ethical considerations
Skeptical technical analysis of limitations
Competing research or alternative approaches
Geopolitical Impact
🌎
MIT's LiDAR advancement enables smartphones to image hidden objects, with potential surveillance and military applications affecting global security dynamics.
Escalation Risk
moderate
Confidence
MED
United States
China
European Union
Russia
Israel
Global
This technology shifts surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities toward consumer devices, potentially democratizing capabilities previously exclusive to military/intelligence agencies. The US maintains technological leadership, but rapid proliferation could enable asymmetric advantages for non-state actors and rival powers in intelligence gathering and urban warfare scenarios.
Similar to GPS technology transition from military to civilian use (1980s-2000s), creating unforeseen geopolitical consequences as dual-use capabilities spread globally.
Economic Lens
📈
MIT's LiDAR breakthrough enables smartphones to image hidden objects, potentially creating new markets in augmented reality, autonomous systems, and security applications while raising privacy concerns.
Market Signal
bullish
Confidence
MED
Consumer Electronics/Smartphones
Augmented Reality (AR)
Autonomous Vehicles
Security & Surveillance
Computer Vision Software
Semiconductor Manufacturing
Consumers gain enhanced smartphone capabilities for AR applications, indoor navigation, and safety features. However, privacy concerns may emerge regarding unauthorized surveillance through walls and obstacles, potentially driving demand for privacy-protective regulations and counter-technologies.
Governments may need to establish regulations governing LiDAR-based surveillance capabilities, similar to existing restrictions on thermal imaging. Privacy legislation could be strengthened. Export controls on advanced LiDAR technology may be considered for national security reasons.