How the Lens-less FlatCam May Change Cameras

NPR’s All Things Considered just broadcast this short segment on the FlatCam, a thin camera that can capture sharp images without the help of a large lens. Being developed over at Rice University, the technology could transform the way cameras are designed in the future.

“You could imagine making, for example, wallpaper that you could paper over a wall to create an extremely massive camera,” says professor Richard Baraniuk. A wall-sized FlatCam could photograph the room without lens distortion. You could also place a curved FlatCam in a cylinder for 360-degree photos.