Cutting edge imaging technology isn’t just helping us tiny humans — it’s helping solve a dinosaur identity crisis. Researchers have developed a brand-new imaging technique that builds a 3D image of a dinosaur skull, creating a CAT scan-style readout. They say this technique proves that what we thought were three separate species of dinosaur are actually the exact same creatures.
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Microscopes are a dime a dozen in universities, so there’s plenty of fun to be had hacking ’em any way you can—like a team of researchers from Caltech, who have developed a cheap and easy way to increase their resolution by a factor of 100.
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Any tech that allows humans a new type of insight is inevitably turned on ourselves. We want to know what else we can find out from peering in on our bodies or minds in a new way. Of course, x-ray machines were pretty much used from the start for that purpose, but it’s amazing to see these 1908 photos examining how a fashion trend was impacting health.
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Pioneer has announced a service that prints the expressions of unborn babies as 3D holograms, using a compact full-color hologram printer developed by the company last year.
“When an expecting mother has a check-up, a 3D/4D echogram is made, and that contains 3D data. So, we suggest taking pre-birth photos of the baby, by skillfully processing that data.”
This device can record full color card-sized Lippmann hologram in 120 minutes with one color holograms taking 90 minutes.
“Previously, holograms were produced by making a model of the subject, shining two lights on the model, and photographing it. That method involved a lot of work, because it required a darkroom, knowledge of techniques, and specialized equipment. But with the device we’ve developed, even if you don’t have the actual object, as long as you have a CG design, then that can be used to record a hologram easily.”
The recording medium is a high-performance film specifically for holograms, called Bayfol HX, from Bayer Material Science. The hologram is visible within a 23 degree viewing angle, and is 200 components high and 300 wide, with each component containing 60 points of view vertically and horizontally.
“This method works by shining light containing information about the object from one side of the recording material, and reference light from the other side, and recording the state of interference between the two light sources in the material. A hologram is created by regularly arranging the recordings on the medium.”
As these holograms can be used to commemorate births, and Lippmann holograms can be viewed clearly in white light, Pioneer is exhibiting holograms in card-case holders and jewel-boxes with white LEDs.
Related: OPTICS & PHOTONICS International Exhibition 2013 (OPIE ’13)
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Kodak as we once knew it has been shedding its identity piece by piece, and today it’s selling off one of the more familiar cornerstones. The one-time photography legend has made an initial deal to offload its Document Imaging division to Brother for $210 million through a stalking horse bid. If no one else makes a sweeter offer, Brother is likely to take control of Kodak’s scanning hardware and software in an agreement that’s expected to receive bankruptcy court approval by June. It’s the end of an era for a company that’s all too familiar with ending eras — let’s just hope it gets around to starting one of them in the near future.
Filed under: Peripherals
Source: Kodak
This video is the first time scientists have ever been able to image the whole brain of a vertebrate creature in such a way that you can see individual cells and simultaneously how they’re firing and behaving in real time. This is how the brain really, really works—and it’s amazing. More »
The one thing we always wish our cameras did better is take better pictures in low light. It looks like Canon is attacking the problem guns a’blazing, because its new 35mm image sensor spits in the face of darkness. More »
Sometimes, it’s the behind-the-scenes deals that matter the most. See Aptina’s newly signed patent cross-licensing agreement with Sony as an example: the pact lets the two imaging veterans use each other’s know-how in camera sensors for everything from dedicated cameras through to smartphones and TVs. We know customers of both companies will be glad to see technology spreading beyond corporate borders, but we have a feeling that Nikon will be the happiest. When Nikon is using Aptina sensors in its 1 series mirrorless cameras and Sony sensors in its DSLRs, it’s likely to reap the benefits, regardless of which sensor maker got the better deal.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Nikon
Source: DPReview
Metamaterials are proving to be quite useful for toying with the electromagnetic spectrum, whether for technology previously thought to be the stuff of science fiction, or for boring real-world applications. Engineers at Duke University have come up something that falls more into the latter category: a metamaterial imaging sensor that doesn’t require a lens to generate a picture. The sensor is a flexible copper-plated sheet patterned with small squares that capture various light frequencies all at once, functioning like one big aperture. Add a few circuits with a pinch of software and the sensor-only camera can produce up to ten images per second, but the catch is Duke’s only works at microwave frequencies. Microwave imaging is used plenty, however, and due to its flexibility and lack of moving parts, the sensor could be used to build better integrated, cheaper airport scanners and vehicle collision avoidance technology — making you safer however you choose to travel. Unless you take the train. Then you’re on your own.
Filed under: Misc, Transportation, Science, Alt
Via: Phys.org
Source: Science, Duke University
Nokia’s cameras and imaging systems have garnered the company plenty of attention in recent years, but it looks like it’s now facing something of a turning point in that area. As Amateur Photographer reports, the man responsible for leading that charge, Damian Dinning, has announced that he’s leaving the company effective November 30th. According to a statement released by Nokia UK, that move is a “personal decision” Dinning made following the company’s decision to relocate a number of key strategic roles to Finland. As for what’s next for Dinning, he rather cryptically tweeted just two days ago that he’s “incredibly excited about the 10th Dec,” adding that he “can’t say more than that right now other than to say it’s nothing to do with Nokia directly.” There’s also no word yet from Nokia on who will take over his role.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Nokia
Via: PureViewClub, The Verge
Source: Amateur Photographer, @PhoneDaz (Twitter)
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