Paper-Thin, Distortion-Free Lenses Could Impact Pro Photography

By emeadows
September 7, 2012

“Using an ultrathin wafer of silicon and gold to focus lightwaves, researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have created a revolutionary new kind of camera lens that completely eliminates the image distortion created by traditional glass lenses,” reports Gizmodo.
This could pave the way for lighter cameras as capable as the swappable lens models available today. This could even create an environment in which a camera phone could produce images as impressive as a DSLR.
The new lens measures 60 nanometers thick and is “made by plating a thin wafer of silicon with a layer of gold that’s then etched away to create a series of V-shaped structures across its surface,” explains the post.
The light hits the structures and is slightly slowed, changing its direction. Then, “by carefully tuning the angle, size, and spacing of these V-shaped structures across the surface of the lens, it can capture wide-angle or telephoto images without the distortion that’s seen from something like a traditional fish-eye lens,” notes Gizmodo.
The invention has the power to serve as “a death blow” to the heavy cameras currently used by professional photographers, according to the post.

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