$7 device and artificial intelligence accurately reveal hidden cameras By Bruna
2 min read
 |
Research institutions such as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore Management University (SMU) have joined forces to create a breakthrough in hidden camera detection. The project resulted in SweepLED, an accessory made up of a grid of LEDs and an artificial intelligence application, designed to identify hidden surveillance equipment. The team, led by Professor Han Jun from KAIST’s School of Computing, developed the technology, which magnetically attaches to smartphones to analyze image reflections.
Traditional methods for finding secret cameras, such as using flashlights or a smartphone’s infrared sensor, often require extensive manual searching or are prone to error. Such approaches sometimes fail to identify tiny lenses or generate many false alerts. Faced with these limitations, researchers sought a new path, integrating artificial intelligence to overcome the shortcomings of existing techniques.
SweepLED consists of a low-cost grid of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), valued at about $7, that attaches to the back of a smartphone. This system emits lights in variable directions, causing reflections on different surfaces to change or disappear. Cameras, whether visible or hidden, have an optical structure that generates a distinct reflection pattern, and it is precisely this pattern that SweepLED was trained to identify with high precision. Practical tests with 30 objects, some with disguised cameras, demonstrated a detection rate of 93.9%, which represents a significant improvement compared to manual inspection.
The spread of hidden cameras in private environments, such as bathrooms, dressing rooms and accommodation, has become a growing concern in many parts of the world, particularly in East Asia. The severity of the problem led to protests by women in South Korea in 2018. While SweepLED offers a faster and more reliable solution to combating voyeurism, it does not cover protection against the more than 40,000 security cameras that transmit unencrypted data globally, nor the proliferation of smart glasses that record images without consent. These issues broaden the debate about privacy and security, leading to measures such as banning the use of certain devices by the US Air Force at its bases.
