RIP Bryce Bayer

Kodak researcher Bryce Bayer, who created the widely used Bayer filter, has died.

Digital microscope

I randomly came across digital microscopes, which are basically single lens devices that use the high resolution of the sensor (plus a large monitor) to give the impression of magnification. The concept is basically macro photography packaged as a kind of non-optical magnification. You can buy one for about $100. While I was initially skeptical, I learned about some of the challenges faced when building these devices. These include matching the single lens throughput with the sensor resolution and dealing with issues relating to lighting and frame rates. Here is a site with more details including some images of small objects. Some interesting trends include a publication that uses a second lens (an eyepiece) with a cellphone/tablet to enable low-cost lab applications. I also found an application where a company built a stereoscopic digital microscope and hooked it up to a stereoscopic TV. So you basically can see live 3D images of small objects, like an insect.