Nanotechnology-Based Image Sensor Takes Digital Pictures in the Dark, Without a Flash

Nanotech firm Planet82 Inc., Seoul, Korea, announced its Single Carrier Modulation Photo Detector (SMPD), which uses nanotechnology to enable cameras to take high-resolution photos or video in the dark -- without a flash. Planet82's SMPD image sensor is 2,000 times more sensitive to light than other image sensors, making it possible to take clear images even when the light level is less than 1 lux -- equivalent to the brightness from one candle one meter away in a dark room. Human eyes can barely distinguish images at less than 1 lux.

"Planet82's SMPD image sensor will change how professional and amateur photographers and videographers capture images and video," said Dr. Hoon Kim, Ph.D., chief technology officer for Planet82 and director of the Nano Scale Quantum Devices Research Center at the Korea Electronics Institute. "We're thrilled to show how effective our technology truly is at taking pictures and video without any light."

(We'll keep you informed about this new technology - let's hope it goes further than the Foveon sensor technology did.)