Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a new camera system that could soon allow your smartphone to see the world in far more detail than what is available right now. Unlike a standard camera that captures just three color channels (red, green, and blue), this new technology captures 25 different color channels, allowing it to record a “spectral fingerprint” for every pixel in high-definition video.
The researchers say their system is small enough to fit into a cellphone, which could revolutionize smartphone photography. A future phone with this technology could potentially be used to instantly assess the ripeness of a fruit, detect stress or disease in plants, identify different skin conditions, and more. It could even improve face recognition technology as it sees what is invisible to the human eye and standard digital cameras alike.
The technology and specifications
This breakthrough — detailed in the journal Optica — is a specialized diffractive filter with nanoscale patterns that is placed directly over a conventional camera’s sensor. This filter encodes all 25 channels of spectral data from a scene into a compressed 2D image called a “diffractogram.” A computer algorithm then reconstructs this image into a full data cube.
This approach represents a major leap forward as traditional hyperspectral cameras are bulky, expensive, and too slow to capture videos.
Key prototype specs:
- Spectral channels: 25
- Spectral range: 440-800 nm
- Resolution: 1304 × 744 pixels (∼1 MP)
- Field-of-View: ∼50°
Beyond Smartphones
While the potential for smartphones is huge, the technology also holds huge potential in many other areas. It could be adapted to surveillance cameras, food processing plants, and more. Because the captured images are compressed, the data files are also much smaller, this could benefit satellites that need to transmit data across long distances. If developed and adopted, the cost of hyperspectral cameras used across different industries will be lowered, and it will also improve portability.
I have always been fascinated by technology and digital devices my entire life and even got addicted to it. I have always marveled at the intricacy of even the simplest digital devices and systems around us. I have been writing and publishing articles online for about 6 years now, just about a year ago, I found myself lost in the marvel of smartphones and laptops we have in our hands every day. I developed a passion for learning about new devices and technologies that come with them and at some point, I asked myself, “Why not get into writing tech articles?” It is useless to say I followed up the idea — it is evident. I am an open-minded individual who derives an infinite amount of joy from researching and discovering new information, I believe there is so much to learn and such a short life to live, so I put my time to good use — learning new things. I am a ‘bookworm’ of the internet and digital devices. When I am not writing, you will find me on my devices still, I do explore and admire the beauty of nature and creatures. I am a fast learner and quickly adapt to changes, always looking forward to new adventures.