World’s smallest camera, size of a grain of sand to save lives in hands of surgeons

… makes it into Guinness Book of Records

OmniVision OV6948

Spot the camera!
(Image: © OmniVision)

A specialist medical camera that measures just 0.65 x 0.65 x 1.158mm has just entered the Guinness Book of Records. The size of the grain of sand, it is the camera’s tiny sensor that is actually being entered into the record book.

The OmniVision OV6948 is just 0.575 x 0.575 x 0.232mm and produces a 40,000-pixel color image using an RGB Bayer back-side-illuminated chip. Each photosite measures just 1.75 µm across.

The resolution may seem low, but the OVM6948-RALA camera is designed to fit down the smallest of veins in the human body giving surgeons views that will aid diagnosis and with surgical procedures. Previously the surgeon would carry out these operations blind, or use a much lower-resolution fibre optic feed.

Manufactured by California-based OmniVision Technologies Inc, the sensor captures its imagery at 30fps, and its analog output can be transmitted over distances of up to 4m with minimal noise. The camera unit offers a 120° super-wide angle of view – so something like a 14mm on a full-frame camera. It gives a depth of field range from 3mm to 30mm.

These comparatively high-resolution images are said to be particularly useful in areas such as neurology, ophthalmology, ENT, cardiology, spinal injuries, urology, gynecology and arthroscopy. The low-power consumption of the camera means that less heat is generated, which allows for longer procedure duration and better patient comfort.

(Digital Camera World)