Imaging

A Methodology to Read QR Codes on Uneven Surfaces

A team from the University of Barcelona and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya has designed a methodology that facilitates the recognition of QR codes in these physical environments, where reading is more complicated. Read on to learn more.

Ultra-Compact Camera Technology Optimized for VR/AR Devices

Researchers have developed an optical design technology that dramatically reduces the volume of cameras with a folded lens system utilizing “metasurfaces,” a next-generation nano-optical device. Read on to learn more.

A New Method Makes High-Resolution Imaging More Accessible

Researchers have made it possible to expand tissue twentyfold in a single step. This simple, inexpensive method could pave the way for nearly any biology lab to perform nanoscale imaging. Read on to learn more.

On-Chip Spectral Imaging for Earth Observation

Today, companies are building small satellite constellations with tens to hundreds of units, far exceeding the scale of traditional space operations. Read on to learn more.

Product of the Month

Read about the product of the month, Synopsys' ImSym — Imaging System Simulator, a virtual prototyping platform for imaging systems, encompassing lenses, sensors, and image signal processors (ISPs).

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Nikon Metrology NV's Scatter Correction CT; Emerson's next-generation Rosemount™ 3490 Controller; Fischer Connectors' USB 3.2 connectors and cable assembly solutions; Renesas Electronics' R-Car Family of system-on-chips for entry-level Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS); and much more.

Can a Breakthrough in Photonic Time Crystals Change How We Use and Control Light?

An international research team has for the first time designed realistic photonic time crystals – exotic materials that exponentially amplify light. The...

Self-Propelled Nanorobots

The “nanoswimmers” could be used to remediate contaminated soil, improve water filtration, or even deliver drugs to targeted areas of the body.

Coating Hides Temperature Change from Infrared Cameras

If the outside of clothing or a vehicle were covered with the coating, an infrared camera would have a harder time distinguishing what is underneath. Read on to learn what this means.

Product Showcase

See what's in the product showcase, including VSD’s innovative SV-2000 Flex; Keysight Technologies' N7718C Optical Reference Transmitter; MKS Instruments' Newport™ TLS260B Tunable Light Sources; Analog Modules' Picosecond Pulsed Seed Laser Diode Driver, Model 766A; and more.

New Computer Vision-Based System Monitors Seasonal Dynamics of Tropical Water

Researchers have developed a new way to map water on land in the tropics. Called the UC Berkeley Random Walk Algorithm WaterMask, this advanced monitoring technology uses L-band microwaves from the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System to “see” water hidden beneath visual barriers, like tree canopies and clouds. Read on to learn more.

New Technology Uses Light to Engrave Erasable 3D Images

Imagine if physicians could capture 3D projections of medical scans, suspending them inside an acrylic cube to create a hand-held reproduction of a patient’s heart, brain, kidneys, or other organs. Then, when the visit is done, a quick blast of heat erases the projection, and the cube is ready for the next scan. A new report by researchers at Dartmouth and Southern Methodist University outlines a technical breakthrough that could enable such scenarios, and others, with widespread utility. Read on to learn more.

Seeing Like a Butterfly: Optical Invention Enhances Camera Capabilities

Butterflies can see more of the world than humans, including more colors and the field oscillation direction, or polarization, of light. Other species, like the mantis shrimp, can sense an even wider spectrum of light, as well as the circular polarization, or spinning states, of light waves. Inspired by these abilities in the animal kingdom, researchers have developed an ultrathin optical element known as a metasurface, which can attach to a conventional camera and encode the spectral and polarization data of images captured in a snapshot or video through tiny, antenna-like nano-structures that tailor light properties.

New Ultrafast Imaging Technique Provides Insight into Combustion Processes

A team of scientists has developed an ultrafast imaging technique, called femtosecond laser sheet-compressed ultrafast photography, that can compile videos of incredibly transient details. Read on to learn more about it.

Designing the Next Generation of Event-Based Sensing and Vision for Edge Applications

Event-based sensing enables new approaches to machine learning. An object recognition or detection algorithm that, until now, could only use the spatial information from a frame can now access another dimension: time. Read on to learn more.

Test Your Knowledge of Machine Vision

Machine vision is the technology, software, hardware, integrated systems, actions, methods, and expertise used to provide imaging-based automatic inspection and analysis. How much do you know about machine vision? Find out with this quiz.

3 Imaging Technologies that Will Catch Your Eye

Watch this video to learn more about three new imaging technologies, including one on a new scientific technique that could significantly improve the reference frames for GPS navigation services. One on off-road autonomous driving tools with a focus on stealth for the military and agility for space and agriculture clients, and one on a novel approach for creating high-performance, ultrafast lasers on nanophotonic chips.

Is that a Smartphone or Microscope in Your Pocket? It's Both!

Researchers have demonstrated that their smartphone-based digital holographic microscope can capture, reconstruct, and display holograms in almost real time.

New High-Performance Ultrafast Lasers That Fit on a Fingertip

In a newly published paper in the journal Science, researcher Qiushi Guo demonstrated a novel approach for creating high-performance, ultrafast lasers on nanophotonic chips. His work centers on miniaturizing mode-lock lasers. Read on to learn more.

A Powerful Vision-Based Autonomy Alternative to LiDAR, Radar, GPS

Southwest Research Institute has developed off-road autonomous driving tools with a focus on stealth for the military and agility for space and agriculture clients. The vision-based system pairs stereo cameras with novel algorithms, eliminating the need for LiDAR and active sensors. Read on to learn more.

New Technique Could Improve GPS Navigation Devices

For the first time, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin’s Applied Research Laboratories and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center have formed a radio interferometer between a GPS antenna and receiver and a large radio telescope. Read on to learn more about the new technique.

Unique Nanodisk Holds Major Potential for Future of Photonic Research

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have for the first time succeeded in combining two major research fields in photonics by creating a nanoobject with...

This OLED Device is Thinner Than a Human Hair

A new type of OLED (organic light emitting diode) could replace bulky night vision goggles with lightweight glasses, making them cheaper and more practical for prolonged use, according to...

A New Optical Counterfeit Detection Method for Computer Chips

Researchers in Purdue University’s College of Engineering have developed a patent-pending optical counterfeit detection method for chips used in semiconductor devices.

Autonomous Aerial Robots Prioritize Rooms in Multiroom Exploration

An estimated 100 earthquakes worldwide cause damage each year. This damage includes collapsed buildings, downed electrical lines and more. For first responders, assessing...

Generative AI Systems Can Produce Robot-Training Simulations

URDFormer takes images of real environments from the internet and quickly creates physically realistic simulation environments where robots can train.

Compound Eye Structure Could Revolutionize Robotic Vision

A team developed a pinhole compound vision system by adopting new materials and structures. This system features several key characteristics, including an inherent hemispherical perovskite nanowire array imager with high pixel density to enlarge the imaging field and a 3D-printed lens-free pinhole array.

New Products

See the new products, including TRIOPTICS' expansion of its OptiCentric® 101 centration measurement system, a new type of laser-based immersion probe, LightSolver's breakthrough in quantum-inspired high-performance computing, Teledyne FLIR's next-generation embedded software for the ITAR-free Boson+ thermal camera module, IDS Imaging Development Systems' all essential camera components for the uEye ACP series, and much more.

Bird-Eye-Inspired Camera Developed for Enhanced Object Detection

This innovative camera technology represents a significant advance in object detection, offering numerous potential applications across various industries. Read on to learn more.