Technology aimed at improving the performance of autonomous cars in visually challenging conditions has been developed by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) . The technology means vehicles can be enhanced with an on - board , sub - terahertz ( infrared ) imaging system , rather than relying on light - based image sensors . This would allow the vehicle to detect sub - frequency waves coming from an object and to use those signals to create an image of that object . Unlike traditional infrared - based LIDAR imaging systems , sub - THz waves are detectable even in adverse visual conditions , such as fog .
Technology aimed at improving the performance of autonomous cars in visually challenging conditions has been developed by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The technology means vehicles can be enhanced with an on-chip, sub-terahertz (THz) imaging system, rather than relying on light-based image sensors. This would allow the vehicle to detect sub-THz waves rebounded from an object and to use those signals to recreate an image of that object. Unlike traditional infrared-based LIDAR imaging systems, sub-THz waves are detectable even in adverse visual conditions, such as fog.