This is a 3D-printed camera that’s smaller than a grain of salt

A research team at the University of Stuttgart have utilised 3D printing, and produced optics that are small enough to fit inside a 12 millimeters syringe.

The team said that at the current time, it is impossible to use basic manufacturing techniques to develop tiny lenses. However, thanks to 3D printing facilities, it is actually possible. Timo Gissibl and Simon Thiele, who are both PhD students leading the team, stated that the operation of designing, creating and manufacturing the small lens only costs a couple of hours time.

This device consists of three lenses and is implanted into a five-foot optical fiber piece which measures about double the width of a strand of hair. The camera also comes with a tiny LED light. The optical fiber should empower the camera to be injected into materials such as the human body, providing information and views for doctors and scientists. Not only could it be used for those purposes, it could also be used in factories and workplaces to inspect machinery and equipment, etc. Another small camera was produced, but it had a traditional image sensor instead. This enhanced the usability of the camera device; it could potentially be used as a really small spy cam or even an add-on for other tech and gadgets, such as bikes or robots. Future areas could be drones the size of small insects that can record video footage using these small cameras, or even smartphones that could feature 360-degree surround camera systems. The University believes that there are various areas that this new invention could cater to.

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Via: | Digital Trends |

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Source: | Stuttgart University |

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Image Credit: | Stuttgart University |

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