A video that is circulating on Reddit and that Jalopnik has located shows us a curious phenomenon: two drivers drive through a strong storm in China caused by Typhoon Gaemi, which has hit the country leaving at least 600,000 people affected.
In the short video we can see how They use their mobile phone to see the roadand although it is best not to try this at home in the middle of a storm, it works for them. What is behind this?
What does the mobile phone see that we don’t?
Typically, light is scattered because it bounces at different angles off the uneven surface of an object. But if the surface is smooth, such as with calm water or a flat piece of metal, the light is reflected at an angle. When this light is reflected right into your eyes, it is what is known as glare. To mitigate this we can use polarized lenses which act as a filter and create vertical openings for light. Only light rays approaching your eyes vertically can pass through these openings.
For example, these lenses block all horizontal light waves that bounce off a smooth pond or the hood of a shiny car. As a result of this filtering, the image you see with polarized lenses is a little darker than usual. But objects look sharper and clearer with polarized lenses, and details are easier to see because they reduce this glare. And smartphone cameras are equipped with polarizing filters that adjust brightness and exposure, which is why unwise Chinese drivers use their phones to see what their eyes can’t.
In snowy environments or at sea they are very convenient to avoid glare, but not for looking at LCD screens like the one in your car’s infotainment system. Another trick. Smartphone cameras can also detect near-infrared so you can use it to check if an infrared remote control for a TV, etc. is working.
Imagen | Reddit.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
