Rambus lensless smart sensor (LSS) technology enables a new generation of low-power sensing by capturing information-rich images with a low-cost phase grating, standard image sensors and sophisticated computational algorithms. More specifically, the spiral grating of LSS diffractive optics (hardware), coupled with sophisticated computational algorithms (software); reduce computation time while facilitating application-specific design flexibility. Simply put, computation is effectively pushed past the ‘edge’ and performed on the LSS sensors themselves.
Emerging Solutions
Prototyping lensless eye trackers for head mounted displays
Rambus scientists Patrick Gill and Thomas Vogelsang recently presented a paper titled “Lensless Smart Sensors: Optical and Thermal Sensing for the Internet of Things” at the 2016 VLSI Symposia. As Julien Happich of the EE Times explains, Rambus lensless smart sensors (LSS) are based on a phase anti-symmetric diffraction grating (either tuned for optical or IR thermal sensing) mounted directly on top of a conventional imaging array and co-designed with computational algorithms that extract relevant information from an imaged scene.
Designing the smart office of the future
A recent white paper authored by U.S. furniture giant Haworth describes how sophisticated sensors deployed in the workplace of the future could help contribute to employee well being and increased productivity. According to Dezeen Magazine, smart sensors would be tasked with constantly monitoring environmental conditions as well as the way employee spaces are used. More specifically, sensors will enable workspaces to “shape-shift” for maximum efficiency, automatically altering temperature and lighting levels, all while making adjustments when workers grow bored or frustrated.
Mining edge nodes to optimize the Cloud
Somshubhro Pal Choudhury, MD, Analog Devices India, recently told the Financial Express that directly transporting sensor data to the Cloud via a gateway is little more than a recipe for disaster.
“This leads to a surge in OPEX. The CAPEX investments will also have to be made at the same scale. The radio that enables wireless data transmission has to be always on, which will abuse the battery capacity,” he explained.
Optimizing edge nodes for the IoT
Jacob Harel of Zeidman Technologies recently noted that IoT developers are currently spending the majority of their resources finding ways to collect and analyze data. “The twist, and pitfall, is that the amount of data moving through the system can swamp the system’s servers and hubs and overwhelm the databases,” he wrote in an Embedded Computing Design article.
Redefining the consumer landscape with AR
Professor Ko De Ruyter of Cass Business School recently noted that augmented reality (AR) has already positively altered the retail experience for consumers. “Companies such as IKEA, L’Oreal, and BMW have added AR applications to their frontline service delivery,” De Ruyter told PhysOrg. “What our research shows is that AR is enhancing online and offline service experiences. The real-time and interactive blend of virtual and physical information results in a compelling experience of presence, where virtual objects become part of the physical world.”