Sand-sized image sensor sets world record

OmniVision, a developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, has just announced that it has achieved a Guinness World Record with its image sensor called the OV6948. This is the world's smallest image sensor with dimensions of 0.575 mm x 0.575 mm.

Along with the sensor, the company also announced the development of a sensor-based camera module called CameraCubeChip .

The OV6948 sensor feels like sand on your fingertip. (Photo: OmniVision).

In their announcement on the company's website, OmniVision representatives suggest the primary use for the new sensor and camera module is for medical applications. They claim the camera module can be attached to a disposable endoscope to capture high-resolution images of very small body parts through blood vessels such as nerves, eye parts, heart, spine, gynecological areas, inside joints, and in parts of the urinary system.

The company representative noted that the US Food and Drug Administration recently warned that reusing endoscopes is prone to cross-contamination, so precautions must be taken. Using a micro-camera in a disposable endoscope would solve this problem.

Features of the new camera module with the tiny sensor include a 120-degree field of view along with a focus range of three to 30 mm. The sensor's imaging array allows for a resolution of 200 x 200, or 40 KPixel, and can process video at 30 frames per second. The camera module also has an analog output to transmit image data up to four meters away with minimal noise. The camera will also run significantly cooler than traditional probes, allowing for longer use inside the patient, consuming just 25 mW of power.

The company also announced that the camera module has a microchip design and is only 0.65mm x 0.65mm square and is only 1.158mm thick, about the size of a grain of sand. The small size of the sensor allows it to be used not only in endoscopy but also with tubes and catheters. The difference in size will no doubt be appreciated by patients who have had to undergo uncomfortable and sometimes painful invasive procedures with current technology. The company also hopes to expand the range of potential users to include veterinarians, dental practitioners, and those in industry.