# Optically lightweight tracking of objects around a corner

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.01873 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.01873/

## Key facts

- Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 3 Jun 2016.

## Built on by (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Recent Advances on Non-Line-of-Sight Imaging: Conventional Physical Models, Deep Learning, and New Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.13807/) (2021)
- [What You Can Learn by Staring at a Blank Wall](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.13027/) (2021)
- [Propagate And Calibrate: Real-time Passive Non-line-of-sight Tracking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.11791/) (2023)
- [Towards Non-Line-of-Sight Photography](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.07783/) (2021)
- [A comprehensive study of time-of-flight non-line-of-sight imaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.09548/) (2026)
- [Fast Non-line-of-sight Imaging with Two-step Deep Remapping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.10492/) (2021)
- [Partial Coherence for Object Recognition and Depth Sensing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.02432/) (2023)
- [PathFinder: Attention-Driven Dynamic Non-Line-of-Sight Tracking with a Mobile Robot](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.05024/) (2024)
- [A Renderer-Enabled Framework for Computing Parameter Estimation Lower Bounds in Plenoptic Imaging Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.00215/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The observation of objects located in inaccessible regions is a recurring challenge in a wide variety of important applications. Recent work has shown that indirect diffuse light reflections can be used to reconstruct objects and two-dimensional (2D) patterns around a corner. However, these prior methods always require some specialized setup involving either ultrafast detectors or narrowband light sources. Here we show that occluded objects can be tracked in real time using a standard 2D camera and a laser pointer. Unlike previous methods based on the backprojection approach, we formulate the problem in an analysis-by-synthesis sense. By repeatedly simulating light transport through the scene, we determine the set of object parameters that most closely fits the measured intensity distribution. We experimentally demonstrate that this approach is capable of following the translation of unknown objects, and translation and orientation of a known object, in real time.