Caltech’s ‘lensless camera’ could make our phones truly flat

According to Professor Ali Hajimiri, it “can switch from a fish-eye to a telephoto lens instantaneously—with just a simple adjustment in the way the array receives light.” The principle is similar to the way phased communication arrays can focus and steer radio waves in a particular direction, but working in reverse. Back in 2014, the team showed off similar technology turned around to create a projector small enough to fit inside your phone, while another application showed the potential for making your phone into a precise 3D object scanner.

Hajimiri Lensless Target

Now, for the first time, it has created a 2D, lensless camera array capable of capturing a low res image of a barcode. The image itself isn’t particularly impressive compared to what your iPhone is capable of, but as a proof of concept, it’s a big deal. Right now the chip consists of an 8×8 grid with 64 sensors, and the team’s next goal is scaling the camera to support larger receivers that are more sensitive and capture a higher-res picture.

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