Metamaterials help create lens-less imaging system
22 Jan 2013
A new metamaterial acts as a “lens” to image scenes using fewer components.
Engineers at Duke University have used metamaterials to build an imaging system which samples infra-red and microwave light.
Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have unique properties that may not be found in nature.
“By taking advantage of the unique properties of these metamaterials, we were able to create a system capable of microwave imaging without lenses or any moving parts,” said graduate student, John Hunt.
The metamaterial used at Duke University is made of thousands of tiny apertures that can detect a wide spectrum of frequencies, allowing it to obtain a more global image of the scene.
“Each individual element of the metamaterial is tuned to narrow frequency,” said Tom Driscoll, a post-doctoral fellow from the University of California - San Diego, currently working in the Smith lab.
“This system allows us to collect and compress the image during collection, instead of later, averting the detector, storage and transmission costs associated with conventional imaging of a scene,” he said.
The imaging system can currently capture around 10 images per second. While it does not yet work with visible wavelengths of light, Hunt believes the technology could one day lead to the development of a range of cheap and portable sensors.
