Scientists Create Flexible Sensor For Simple Zoom in Small Cameras

The way digital cameras currently work is incredibly complicated when it comes to optics. Lenses need to present a flat image sensor with an equally flat image or you'll end up with a distorted picture. This makes lens construction very complex, but this might not be something we're stuck with.

Researchers at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University have constructed a 16 pixel by 16 pixel CMOS sensor that flexes to match the curvature of a lens. "'This type of technology could be useful for night-vision surveillance, endoscopic imaging, and other areas that require compact cameras with simple zoom optics and wide angle fields of view," says researcher John Rogers.

Rogers says that the tech will have to start small, but that it could eventually grow. "A successful development of the technology could, however, allow it to be used in any type of camera," he says. "We have in mind, for example, the use of this technology to achieve 'studio quality' imaging in small, cellphone cameras."

(via DP Review)