World's smallest camera wants to meet your innards

We generally abide by a no-swallowing-cameras policy around here, but if we were to swallow a digital camera, we guess this OmniVision OV6920 CMOS would be the way to go. It's the world's first 1/18-inch camera sensor, and is therefore the world's smallest camera -- almost as thin as a Samsung phone. The camera is designed to work as part of a pill which can be swallowed and flow through your digestive system, or for firing from a rather large syringe. Did we mention our no-injecting-cameras policy? We happen to be rather strict adherents.

[Via The Raw Feed]

[AUA @ Jun 23rd 2006 3:32PM]

It's gonna need a flash, I think. My belly isn't bioluminescent.

[Jimbolaya @ Jun 23rd 2006 3:36PM]

Areyou sure that's just not the world's biggest pencil?

btw, I posted twice yesterday within 5 minutes from one another, but their authorization emails were received 4 and 16 hours afterwards respectively. This has become more frequent, not sure if it's my Yahoo mail causing problems or what.

[Ken @ Jun 23rd 2006 3:45PM]

A sensor is a camera? So I guess a roll of film is a camera too?

[Scabies @ Jun 23rd 2006 3:50PM]

coupled with the peristolsis-enabled wormbot (http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/20/new-robot-does-the-worm-for-real/) we could have a real intestinal voyeur-fiend indeed.

*Piano: Monlight Sonota*
*Setting: The Villi People*
*Earthworm Jim: "Groovy!"*

[Gazoogleheimer @ Jun 23rd 2006 4:05PM]

Well, I have seen 'pill cameras' before. They have 2 small LED's on them...but this camera-through a syringe?! Ouch!!! That is a bit big, don't you think, to be put through your skin?

[Craig @ Jun 23rd 2006 4:17PM]

Wow, that's small. I name this the CCD Nano.

[Michael @ Jun 23rd 2006 4:20PM]

If it is indeed a camera then how are the images recovered? Does it support wireless or do you need to retrieve it?

[Leif @ Jun 23rd 2006 5:12PM]

I think I missed the part where it was explained WHY people were thinking of injecting this into their bloodstream, or swallowing it. What use would this have rattling around inside of a body? Dude, there's no light in there!

[Derek M. @ Jun 23rd 2006 5:47PM]

This would be a great gift for a heroin addict who has intrest where the drugs go.

[W Foster Photography @ Jun 23rd 2006 6:11PM]

Probably easier to pass than a peach pit, but nonetheless, not something I'd willingly swallow just for an inside view of me.

[Michael @ Jun 23rd 2006 6:44PM]

.0625 < .27 (CCD size vs. Samsung phone size in inches)

Nevertheless, this is cool.

Oh, and for alll you people that want to know why you would want this in your intestines. Would you rather ~20' of garden hose shoved up your ass for a colonoscopy, or a pill (yes, of course add a flash)? And before you say anything, no they don't go and get the pill out of your poop, they transmit the data, using aome short-range wireless stuff. You wear a fanny pack with the reciever for something like 45 minutes, and then they have all the images they need.

It also appears to be a surface mount component, so shut up about how you get data off it. The data isn't stored on it, it's stored elsewhere. There are plenty of other ICs that are smaller then this, just no CCDs this size.

The only question I have is what the resolution of this is. I mean, you could have a ccd with a resolution of 1x1 in the same size, and it's nothing new, but what is the resolution on this.

[dudeInAmerica @ Jun 23rd 2006 9:06PM]

So... do yo uneed to poop it out to get the film developed or what? I dont see a usb connector on that thing.

[Zach C. @ Jun 24th 2006 2:18AM]

Re: resolution.

I see eight pins on that thing. If we're using a strictly physical addressing scheme (photoresistor between pins), that means four pins for rows and four for columns, or 16 pixels of resolution.

It's possible that something more complex is in use, in which case we probably have one pin for power (yes, indeed!) and one for other purposes (register shift?), leaving six pins of addressing. 2^6=32px, then *2 if you do use a register shift, for 64px.

That would be a fairly complex chip for a photo-sensor. Too bad the article's photo is optimised for display, and not research. ;)

[Sven @ Jun 24th 2006 5:50AM]

I wish anybody would actaully read the story...
"The ultra small OV6920 is a single-chip OmniPixel Camera Chip system, which only needs clock and power to get the NTSC composite signal out for direct interface with a VCR/TV/monitor."
So the clever thing is that it's not just the CCD but also some processing. Of those nine pins, there'll be clock, power and 2 pins for a composite video signal. So you cannot guess the resolution from the picture. Also it seems like they'll transmit an analog image, so they don't have to ADC it inside the pill.

[Mike @ Jun 25th 2006 7:23PM]

oh how I wish for this to come to market soon. I say this as I sit on the toilet in preparation for tomorrows colonoscopy. at least I have wireless!

[Claudiu Spulber @ Jun 26th 2006 4:40AM]

Might be possible to have a retina implant with one of these cameras. They put it in at your birth, they pull it out when you die (assuming it will have some gazillion GB storage capacity). Hmmm, seen this in a movie somewhere?

[Sean @ Apr 20th 2007 3:14PM]

Does anyone know of a company that actually integrates this sensor into a complete camera module? If so, please email me at [e-mail]

Thank you!