New camera sensor could make all current devices obsolete

 

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Posted on 15 Feb 2010 at 10:11

Scientists at Oxford University have developed a revolutionary way of capturing a high-resolution still image alongside very high-speed video. Temporal pixel multiplexing is being developed for medical imaging, but looks equally attractive for consumer use. The team has successfully created an imaging tool that could provide both high-speed video and high-resolution still images from the same camera.

The technique works by dividing all the camera's pixels into groups that are then allowed to take their part of the bigger picture in well-controlled succession, very quickly, and during the time required to take a single 'normal' snapshot. So for example, if you use 16 pixel patterns and sequentially expose each of them for one sixteenth of the time the main camera shutter remains open, there would be 16 time points at which evenly distributed parts of the image will be captured by the different pixel groups. You then have two choices: either you view all 16 groups together as your usual high-resolution still image, or you play the sixteen sub-images one after the other, to generate a high-speed movie.

"Anyone who has ever tried to take photographs or video of a high-speed scene, like football or motor racing, even with a fairly decent digital SLR, will know that it's very difficult to get a sharp image because the movement causes blurring. We have the same problem in science, where we may miss really vital information like very rapid changes in intensity of light from fluorescent molecules that tell us about what is happening inside a cell. Having a massive 10 or 12 megapixel sensor, as many cameras now do, does absolutely nothing to improve this situation.

This could have everyday applications for everything from CCTV to sports photography and is already attracting interest from the scientific imaging sector where the ability to capture very high quality still images that correspond exactly to very high speed video is extremely desirable and currently very expensive to achieve.

The research may soon move from the optical bench to a consumer-friendly package.

Dr. Mark Pitter from the University of Nottingham is planning to compress the technology into an all-in-one sensor that could be put inside normal cameras. He said: "The use of a custom-built solid state sensor will allow us to design compact and simple cameras, microscopes and other optical devices that further reduce the cost and effort needed for this exciting technique. This will make it useful for a far wider range of applications, such as consumer cameras, security systems, or manufacturing control."

It all sounds very exciting, though we've not yet been given enough information to make a proper conclusion for ourselves about the viability of the new technique. Based on the current information we can't see how the video would achieve the same actual resolution as the still image. Still, we'd be happy to be proved wrong.

Author: Seth Barton