Rambus is working on two technologies that could potentially transform the imaging market. The one closer to market is the Binary Pixel.
Lensless Smart Sensors
Tiny Lensless Camera Uses Algorithms to Convert Light to Pictures
How small is your smallest camera? Even if it’s a nearly-invisible spycam, your shooter will be huge in comparison to a new smart image sensor that’s just 200 microns wide, giving it less girth than three human hairs. Developed in Rambus’s imaging laboratory, the prototype is so small that it doesn’t even have a lens, using algorithms to convert the spherical patterns of light it “sees” back into recognizable images.
Rambus Pursues Disposable PicoCam
Rambus is developing a so-called pico-camera, a lens-free device significantly cheaper and smaller than today’s tiniest imagers. The technique still requires significant computation to deliver even a blurry image, however the company sees an initial opportunity to enter the market as a thermal camera.