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Another Breakthrough Has Been Made With 3D Printed Tiny Cameras

Another breakthrough has been made in the world of 3D printing as new tiny cameras have now been developed using this technology that is small enough to be injected into the human body with just a standard syringe.

Helena Marsh
Helena MarshEditor-in-Chief
2 min read
Another Breakthrough Has Been Made With 3D Printed Tiny Cameras

Another breakthrough has been made in the world of 3D printing as new tiny cameras have now been developed using this technology that is small enough to be injected into the human body with just a standard syringe.  That is pretty impressive!  These tiny, microscopic cameras are the size of a grain of salt, but they could transform the world of healthcare as we know it.


Produced by a team at the University of Stuttgart, this three-lens camera is another fantastic example of just what we can achieve with the technology around us today.  By using a 3D printer to churn out the lenses, manufacturers will be able to produce them in no time at all and to specific requirements, if need be.
Image of a multi-lens system with a diameter of 600 µm surrounded by four doublet lenses with a diameter of 120 µm. Credit: Timo Gissibl

Complex triplet lens by femtosecond 3D printing on a single mode optical fiber.

The cameras are so small that they can be printed onto the end of an optic fiber and then inserted into the human body, including the brain, to be used as a camera.  This will allow doctors to have a much better view of the internal organs and is less invasive than a regular endoscope.  The printing technique was developed by using lasers with very short pulses that were focused through a microscope onto a liquid polymer.  Then, when the 3D printing occurs, the lasers harden the polymer as the lens is produced.

As well as being used for groundbreaking medical advances, these tiny little cameras could also be as surveillance devices, or if used in connection with the right sensors they could also be used in the production of self-driving vehicles.  This type of 3D printing will pave the way for further developments in both the technology and health sectors and more innovative will be just around the corner.

Source; University of Stuttgart


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Helena Marsh

Helena Marsh

Editor-in-Chief

Helena Marsh is the Editor-in-Chief at TrendinTech, where she leads editorial strategy and oversees coverage across artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise technology. With more than a decade in technology journalism on both sides of the Atlantic, she previously served as a senior editor at Wired UK and covered the technology sector for The Guardian, following the rise of the big platforms, the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the regulatory push from Brussels and Washington. Helena holds an MA in Journalism from City, University of London and is a regular speaker at Web Summit in Lisbon and CES in Las Vegas. She believes technology reporting should be rigorous and plainly written, so readers understand what actually changes for them rather than what a company's announcement promises.

All stories by Helena Marsh (201)