A device that uses a piece of glass with little bumps on it can distinguish objects based on how they scatter light, removing the need for a camera or a computer
The device identifies objects based on how they scatter near-infrared light
Getty Images/Stone RF/stilllifephotographer
A piece of glass with tiny little bumps on it can be used to identify objects. The “smart glass” could eventually be more compact than using cameras and computers to achieve the same aim.
Machine learning algorithms are becoming good at identifying objects, but using them usually requires a camera and a computer. While this combination fits inside your phone, Nanfang Yu at Columbia University in New York and his colleagues wanted to make an even smaller object recognition device. …