Endoscopic camera disposable with salt granules

German engineers have built an endoscope for medical use that is just as small as a raw salt grain.

The tiny camera (camera) assembled at the top of a fiber optic cable is welcomed by doctors and researchers as an invaluable assistant to help them observe organs in the human body. It can be considered the world's smallest camera with a volume of less than 1 cm ^3.

The once used endoscope camera is about the size of a grain of salt.

The endoscopes currently used in medicine are quite expensive, after each use must be removed, cleaning and disinfection is very complicated. Compared to them, the new low-cost, disposable camera is likened to a devoted, dedicated scout after completing the assigned task.

This is a product jointly designed by Fraunhofer Institute of Miniatures (Germany) in cooperation with Awaiba GmbH and the Institute of Optics .

Typically, a digital video camera consists of a lens, a set of sensors and electrical contacts to receive the data that the sensors move to. Up to 28,000 sensors are made into a silicon disk called a wafer, which is then connected by contacts and lens mounts.

All components are very sophisticatedly assembled, according to a complex diagram, extremely logical layout to minimize to a maximum in a small size of a crystalline salt, into a video camera. Tiny and effective.

The camera camera has a resolution of up to 62,500 pixels and transmits images to doctors or researchers through power cables rather than fiber optic cables. But its creator thinks that their unique product is not only used in medicine but also in many other areas such as automotive design.

At this time, they will replace the aerodynamic monitoring mirror or use it to check the driver's fatigue signs, avoiding distracting accidents.

It is hoped that the endoscopic device will be brought to the market next year.