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| Image: Tech Transfer HQ |
CMOS sensors are now so ordinary that it’s easy to forget how transformative they were. They’re used in an ever-growing list of devices, from dedicated cameras, smartphones and webcams, to security systems, glasses and cars. A new video from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) looks at how the CMOS image sensor, once a space-imaging technology tied to NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), became one of the defining inventions of the digital age.
The short video traces the sensor’s path from deep-space imaging work intended to photograph Saturn up close to everyday devices. It highlights the roles of engineers Eric Fossum, the inventor of the modern CMOS sensor and a longtime friend of DPReview, and Sabrina Kemeny. It walks through the idea of the “camera on a chip,” with a useful visual for understanding how it works and how it differs from CCD technology.
Interestingly, even though the team had success right away, NASA wasn’t interested at first. “We were trying to get them to adopt this technology that we thought was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and they just weren’t that interested,” said Kemeny in the video. That’s because the scientists didn’t know how it would handle the harsh conditions in space, and they needed a camera that they could be confident would perform when spending millions on a mission.
That led the team to seek out industry applications, which snowballed into what we now see today. “I had no idea how massively useful or ubiquitous it would be,” said Fossum. Of course, the CMOS sensor did eventually make its way back to NASA, with the Perseverance rover on Mars using the technology to send back photos and videos from the distant planet.
The video is part of a series that highlights how research moves from the laboratory to daily life. It’s a good example of how scientific research can find its way into everyday tools, including those used by photographers. After all, the same broad push to make cameras smaller, more efficient and more capable helped set the stage for the image-saturated world we live in now.
Our DPREVIEW Tribute:
After nearly 25 years of operation, DPReview closed on 10 April 2023. This difficult decision was part of the annual operating plan review that parent company, Amazon, shared earlier this year.
Over the course of 25 years, DP Review built up a reputation as being one of the most informative places to go for information about that new camera or lens you’re after. DP Review began as an independent reviews site based in the UK in 1998, the brainchild of Philip and Joanna Askey, but it was eventually purchased by Amazon in 2007 and relocated over to Seattle in the USA in 2010.
Cheers DPReview – thanks for the great work and content that guided photographers, videographers and techno junkies the world over!