A breakthrough in lens technology could soon integrate powerful thermal imaging cameras into everyday devices like smartphones and cars at a fraction of current costs.
According to TechXplore, scientists at Australia’s Flinders University have developed a new type of infrared lens using extremely inexpensive and widely available materials. These lenses could incorporate expensive optics normally found only in specialty equipment into mainstream consumer products.
Thermal imaging cameras detect infrared light, which is emitted as heat from objects. They are widely used in security systems, fire detection, industrial inspections, medical devices and vehicle security systems.
Despite their usefulness, thermal imaging cameras remain rare in consumer products because their lenses are expensive and difficult to manufacture. Most infrared lenses today are based on materials such as germanium or silicon.
These materials are expensive, difficult to process and prone to damage. A single lens can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. As a result, thermal imaging remained limited to professional and industrial devices.
A plastic-like lens that changes the cost equation
According to the research paper, the new lens is made of a polymer made from elemental sulfur and an inexpensive organic compound. Sulfur is widespread and is produced in large quantities as a byproduct of petroleum refining. This polymer can be molded using molding techniques similar to those used for plastics.
In fact, the raw material cost for a single lens can be less than a cent. Additionally, these lenses can be manufactured quickly, repaired if damaged, and recycled at the end of their life. Traditional infrared lenses are typically discarded when they crack or deteriorate.
The technology opens the door to embedding thermal imaging into everyday technology. Cars could use them for improved driver assistance and night visibility. Smartphones could gain thermal sensing capabilities for security, diagnostics or energy monitoring.
The researchers are also working with partners at NASA to study how this lens could be used in planetary science and other advanced imaging applications. If this technology reaches consumer devices, heat-sensitive cameras could become as common as regular cameras in phones and cars.
Advances in smartphone imaging are accelerating on other fronts, too: Researchers are exploring entirely new camera lenses that could significantly expand the viewing and detection capabilities of cell phones.
