The cameras were developed by a pair of bioengineers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a former postdoctoral scholar. Computational image processing powers the cameras and can decipher the size and shape of objects hidden around corners or behind other items.

The researchers say the technology could incorporated into autonomous vehicles or medical imaging tools "with sensing capabilities far beyond what is considered state of the art today".

In developing the cameras, the team drew inspiration from two natural phenomena found in flies and bats.

In the dark, bats can visualise a vibrant picture of their surroundings by using echolocation, or sonar. Their high-frequency squeaks bounce off their surroundings and return to be picked up by their ears.

The minuscule differences in how long it takes for the echo to reach the nocturnal animals and the intensity of the sound tell them in real time where things are, what’s in the...