Focusing an image onto a sensor describes to some extent the basic operation of a digital camera, and for that we need some kind of lens. Now, if it were possible to remove the lens, the sensor would most likely capture all sorts of shadows, but at Rice University they developed FlatCam, an ultra-thin and lensless camera that generates images from a tiny mask placed in front of the sensor and advanced software reconstruction.
Eliminating the lens from a camera while maintaining the final image quality is undoubtedly the dream of many manufacturers in the mobile device market. Engineers have practically reinvented lenses, but it’s easy to hit design limits when they have just a few millimeters to work with. On the other hand, professional cameras accept no compromises, and when in doubt, it’s worth revisiting this missile created by Canon. Over time, many camera functions have been absorbed by software… but could a handful of code actually replace a lens?
That idea leads us to Rice University and its prototype called FlatCam. At first glance, we find a sensor thinner than a coin, with a connector that appears standard. However, this sensor doesn’t use any lens during image capture. The key to FlatCam’s operation is split into two components. The first is a mask prepared with multiple apertures arranged in a grid. The mask does not act as a lens, but it provides enough information to the sensor for the second component to kick in: reconstruction algorithms.
As we can see in the video, FlatCam’s performance is very limited compared to a mobile device’s camera, but its quality could be acceptable for special applications such as object recognition and medicine. Although the whole package will improve if manufacturing methods for sensors are optimized, in the short and medium term we will definitely still be using lenses.
For more details, read the official announcement from Rice University.
