An innovative company in France has developed a type of photographic lens that uses way outside the box thinking. Varioptic has introduced a liquid lens for camera phones that has 5 to 10 times the power of the human eye and is 20 times faster. Philips Research in the Netherlands is also busy working on the lens, which uses liquid contained in glass. According to an article in this month's Wired Magazine argues that "Eventually, liquid lenses could fundamentally change the mechanics of the camera."
Varioptics lens system works with droplets of oil and water to create a lens that changes not only shape but position has well. Ultimately, the technology makes the lens lighter and faster. PC Magazine writes
Varioptics takes a tiny drop of water (it can be any conductive liquid) and pairs it with an equally tiny drop of oil and then sandwiches them between glass or plastic. Oil and water's innate inability to mix means no membrane is necessary between the two liquids. A tiny, variable voltage is delivered to the water, which causes it to change shape. A higher current pulls the drop in upon itself, creating a concave effect and a lower voltage makes it rounder.
How this technological innovation plays out in the highly competitive and high-risk camera world is anyone's guess. What I have been thinking about, however, is not so much about how technologies drive culture but how markets drive technologies. The desire for better camera phones inspired technologists to work to solve a problem. Liquid lenses will make camera phones produce better pictures, people will be happier, and in turn, buy more camera phones. In a sense, demand from market sectors like cam-phone uses, ripples outward to push for innovations that have far ranging consequences.
Links:
Variable Focus Liquid Microlenses in Production
by Emily Raymond