55. The All-Seeing Eye

A new camera snaps shots one billion pixels in resolution.

By Valerie Ross
Jan 23, 2013 4:29 PMNov 12, 2019 4:48 AM
camera.jpg
A military-funded camera. | Courtesy Duke University

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

Professional digital cameras snap shots with a resolution of 20 or 30 megapixels. Electrical engineer David Brady at Duke University has created a camera that takes one-gigapixel pictures.

He and his team arranged 98 microcameras in a dome. A unique computing system knits the 98 snapshots into a billion-pixel image, so detailed that viewers can read a license plate shot from a third of a mile away. The tech could eventually find its way into personal cameras. Meanwhile, Brady and his colleagues started building a five-gigapixel commercial version this past fall.

Courtesy Duke University
1 free article left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

1 free articleSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2024 LabX Media Group