Machine vision technology has reached a new breakthrough with the development of a compact camera capable of identifying objects at the speed of light . This innovative technology, developed in collaboration between the University of Washington and Princeton University, introduces a radically different approach to image processing.
The team of researchers, led by Arka Majumdar and Felix Heide, has designed a system that does away with conventional lenses, replacing them with a set of 50 metalenses. These microstructures allow light to be manipulated directly, turning the optical system itself into a neural network capable of performing calculations in real time. Thanks to this design, the camera is up to 200 times faster than traditional methods based on digital processing hardware.
Potential applications in artificial intelligence and robotics
The prototype of this compact camera opens the door to a host of applications in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics . From improving vision systems in autonomous vehicles to advances in medical devices, the ability to identify objects with unprecedented speed can transform numerous industries. The study, published in Science Advances , supports these claims.
Today, all smart devices incorporate some form of artificial vision. This new approach could significantly reduce energy consumption and improve the efficiency of these systems.
Heide explained, stressing that this technology is still in its early stages of development, but its potential is enormous.
Compact camera: A future with ultra-fast artificial vision
The research team will continue to refine this technology to make it more efficient and adapted to complex environments. The next phases of the project include testing with more demanding data sets and its application in autonomous vehicles . In addition, this breakthrough is expected to motivate new research in the field of optical computing, driving a change in the way machine vision systems process information.
Prototype of the ultra-fast camera. Source: Princeton Computational Imaging Lab
This development marks a key step in the evolution of artificial intelligence , demonstrating that the speed of light could be the new standard in image processing.
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Source and photos: University of Washington
