Lensless camera could help robots see in 3D

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Robots could see with 3D vision thanks to a lensless camera that uses new image processing algorithms to capture information about objects in a scene in a single exposure.

Weijian Yang, PhD, and Feng Tian developed a camera that uses a thin microlens array and new image processing algorithms to capture 3D information about multiple objects in single exposure. The raw sub-images from the microarray are displayed on the monitor
Weijian Yang, PhD, and Feng Tian developed a camera that uses a thin microlens array and new image processing algorithms to capture 3D information about multiple objects in single exposure. The raw sub-images from the microarray are displayed on the monitor - Savannah Luy, University of California - Davis

This is the claim of a team at the University of California, Davis, who see the lensless camera finding applications in industrial part inspection, gesture recognition and collecting data for 3D display systems.

“We consider our camera lensless because it replaces the bulk lenses used in conventional cameras with a thin, lightweight microlens array made of flexible polymer,” said research team leader Weijian Yang from UC Davis. “Because each microlens can observe objects from different viewing angles, it can accomplish complex imaging tasks such as acquiring 3D information from objects partially obscured by objects closer to the camera.”

In Optics Express, Yang and first author Feng Tian, a doctoral student in Yang’s lab, describe the new 3D camera. Because the camera learns from existing data how to digitally reconstruct a 3D scene, it can produce 3D images in real time.

“This 3D camera could be used to give robots 3D vision, which could help them navigate 3D space or enable complex tasks such as manipulation of fine objects,” Yang said in a statement. “It could also be used to acquire rich 3D information that could provide content for 3D displays used in gaming, entertainment or many other applications.”

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lensless camera