Rambus’ lensless smart sensors (LSS) offer a novel approach to sensing by combining ultra-small diffractive gratings with standard image sensors.
Light passing through the diffractive grating is intelligently spread onto the image sensor below to form an unrecognizable, yet information-rich blob containing the relevant data from a particular scene. This information is combined with application-specific algorithms that can either visually reconstruct a scene, or extract pertinent data, such as the number and location of occupants.
With LSS, an inanimate building becomes more than concrete, glass, and furnishings, as it is equipped with intelligent technology capable of understanding the movement, presence, and patterns of its occupants. To be sure, the presence of an individual, the number of occupants and relevant activity are all passively detected.
The resulting data is then analyzed – automatically triggering specific systems and functions within a smart building, such as security, heating, cooling and lighting. This smart approach increases the comfort and safety level of the occupants while significantly reducing energy costs. Simply put, by rethinking the way digital systems ‘see,’ LSS creates an intelligent infrastructure capable of adapting to the ever-changing needs of the individual.
With optics approximately the size of a human hair, and a power envelope so low that certain applications could run on energy harvested from their environment, Rambus LSS technology offers the potential to positively disrupt the future of smart buildings and cities, as well as wearables, medical equipment, transportation and manufacturing.
Interested in learning more about Rambus lensless smart sensors? You can check out our LSS product page here and our article archive here.