The lens-less device is called a PlanarFourier Capture Array. It’s a flat piece of doped silicon. Each of its pixelsis sensitive to specific incident angles and supplies a component of the mathematicaloperation called the Fourier Transform to produce an image about 20 pixelsacross. The details of the new camera are outlined in the journal OpticsLetters. 

 

Animals like the nautilus manage withlens-less eyes. The images aren’t necessarily sharp, but they’re still useful.Same with this tiny camera. 

 

Patrick Gill, who headed the project, had been trying to create a lens-lessimplantable device to detect brain neurons that, due to modifications, glowwhen they’re active.

 

The camera his team came up with could costjust pennies to produce, and could find use in surgery, research and robotics.An insect-sized robot with tiny silicon cameras could tell light from dark andperceive general shapes. After all, the flatworm planaria does just fine with eyesthat are arguably not as good.

 

Thanks for the minute. For ScientificAmerican’s 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber .