MIT researchers weave "flexible camera" out of fiber web

We've seen liquid camera lenses and cameras shaped like an eye, but a group of researchers from MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering are now taking things in yet another shape-shifting direction with a so-called "flexible camera" that uses a special fiber web instead of traditional lenses. Those fibers are each less than one millimeter in diameter, and are comprised of eight nested layers of light-detecting materials, which the researchers are able to form using an extrusion process like that used to make optical fiber for telecommunication applications. Once woven into a fabric, the researchers say the "camera" could be anything from a foldable telescope to a soldier's uniform that gives them greater situational awareness. Of course, they aren't saying when that might happen, although they have apparently already been able to use the fiber web to take "a rudimentary picture of a smiley face."

[v3xx @ Jul 10th 2009 1:12PM]

Wow giz posted this like a month ago

[krish @ Jul 10th 2009 1:14PM]

Upskirts will never be the same.

And correct, this is like an month old.

[egress63 @ Jul 10th 2009 1:28PM]

Yeah, all I need is to have one of these on my shoe. :p

Side question: How do you power these things?

[Crazy J @ Jul 10th 2009 1:36PM]

If clothing manufacturers would build these into the skirts, it would make things easier...

But how would you market those skirts towards women... hmmm~

[kal326 @ Jul 10th 2009 1:44PM]

You do it in Japan, they had a fad of women wearing skirts that made it look like they were walking around in their underwear. Find an angle and I'm sure they will buy it.

[migglet @ Jul 10th 2009 1:25PM]

yeah wasnt this already posted a few days ago?

[migglet @ Jul 10th 2009 1:25PM]

dude how do i change my password so i can actually remember it?

[Brdystyls @ Jul 10th 2009 1:39PM]

click on your name in a previous post.

[migglet @ Jul 10th 2009 4:33PM]

nice!

[Wwhat @ Jul 11th 2009 8:13AM]

You can get an avatar then if you so desire.

[HutcH @ Jul 10th 2009 1:31PM]

I remember this...

[fistpittingnork @ Jul 10th 2009 1:35PM]

Some pig.

[darkmax @ Jul 10th 2009 2:13PM]

hmm....invisiblility cloak or clothes....

[Wwhat @ Jul 11th 2009 8:20AM]

You could make a picture of your body by looking inside then somehow project it on the outside, that way you could streak while still clothed so you could be naked in cold climates like the artic.
Hurdles: your junk would look squashed. Advantages, a color filter could give you a tan.

[Chups @ Jul 10th 2009 3:04PM]

old

[Col. Readily Apparent Upon Cursory Inspection @ Jul 10th 2009 3:35PM]

Whats with the SEM abuse? These photos really could have been taken on an optical microscope.

[Wwhat @ Jul 11th 2009 8:11AM]

Pictures above don't look like SEM, it has too shallow a depth of field it looks to me, I thought SEM didn't do that.
Although the departments that handle the equipment seem to sometimes have artistic post processing done.
Anyway if it's available why not use it?

[Brandon L @ Jul 10th 2009 6:09PM]

Isn't this what's used in video games such as Splinter Cell and other Tom Clancy games?

[videonevin @ Jul 11th 2009 4:33AM]

finally that simpsons episode with the chick judge who has a fiber optical camera implanted in homer and bart's handcuffs that handcuff them together will be technically accurate.

[Wwhat @ Jul 11th 2009 8:03AM]

How come science papers are so expensive? I mean to download a single pdf of an article they ask $34, it's not even printed, and the concept of science is to share not to sit on it and ask $34 a pop for an electronic document.
ALMOST as daft as google video asking money for stupid jabber of TV political journalist from the freaking past, almost because it's very hard to beat the insanity of that one.

[Westley @ Jul 11th 2009 12:31PM]

Regardless of how old this is, i find it fascinating.

[KevinG @ Jul 18th 2009 4:18PM]

Dude,

if you can make cameras from these fibers that combined with tiny leds) means you can image the stomach, esophagus, and even blood vessels..

K