Current techniques for monitoring the stability of large structures include the placement of numerous expensive accelerometers, or the use of laser beams and acoustic waves, measuring velocity to calculate motion. While such methods are precise, they're also expensive and very time-consuming, only measuring a single point on a structure at one time.
Conversely, the method proposed by the MIT researchers requires only a single high speed camera, is able to track vibrations across entire structures, and can be conducted without making physical contact.