Noise to Vision

Scientists have figured out a new technique for revealing images of hidden objects which could one day allow doctors to see more precisely through the human body without surgery. The method clarifies images using scattered rays of light. “Normally, noise is considered a bad thing,” said Jason Fleischer, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Princeton. “But sometimes noise and signal can interact, and the energy from the noise can be used to amplify the signal. For weak signals, such as distant or dark images, actually adding noise can improve their quality.”