Camera that can track individuals at any angle

Zdenek Kalal at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, developed the Predator camera, which constantly collects details of the person or object it is filming, allowing it to build up a model of the target, New Scientist reported.

When the system “sees” a person or object for the first time, it creates a model of it, which it records in its memory, and then as it continues filming, it adds fresh details of the object from slightly different angles, building up a three-dimensional representation.

Doing so allows it to recognise the object again even if it leaves the shot and then reappears at a different angle.

Kalal said as well as allowing police and security forces to track individuals through CCTV footage, the system could also help disabled people to control computing devices through facial expressions or gestures.

Since the system learns as it goes, it would not need to be laboriously trained to work with one individual or gesture, but could adapt to each person's preferred method of control. The system operates with just a simple webcam, and so could also be used for low-cost motion capture.

Unlike Microsoft’s motion-tracking system Kinect, which is only able to follow body parts at a certain distance from its camera, the Predator can track any object within its shot.

The system could also be used in collision-avoidance systems for cars, to track other moving objects or vehicles.