An Origami Lens for Your Camera Phone?

Roland Piquepaille writes "Your next camera phone might get a new kind of lens if researchers at the University of California at San Diego convince the cell phones makers. They have designed an 'origami lens' which will slim high resolution cameras. Today, their 5-millimeter thick, 8-fold imager delivers images comparable in quality with photos taken with a compact camera lens with a 38 millimeter focal length. In a few years, these bendable lenses could be used in high resolution miniature cameras for unmanned surveillance aircraft, cell phones and infrared night vision applications."

Cost benefit analysis...

[Lord Prox]

Something else to think about... cost of manufacture. If this is designed for small form factor it is most likely going into consumer electronics. If you are dropping several hundred bucks on a digital SLR you don't mind a big lens. Cost becomes an issue with $100 mass produced Taiwanese gadgets. This seems like it will cost a helluva lot more than a simple plastic standard lens. That only leaves a small market for expensive cameras with form factor restrictions. Or so it seems.

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Re:No, it's not even a lens

[Jake73]

It's similar to how a reflecting telescope works. The mirror is a reflector, but operates similarly to a lens in how it can focus light. Just imagine collapsing a standard reflecting telescope several times onto itself. The most complicated part of it is the manufacturing which requires very precise control of the lens surface.

The advantage is, of course, the reduced thickness. These can be mounted on the skin of a surveillance device and not protrude like a lens would.

Re:Focal lenght and out-of-focus blur(bokeh)

[CityZen]

This lens has exactly a second mirror blocking the center of the main lens itself.
Did you not look at the diagram? The thing blocking the aperture is the second mirror.
The "zone reflectors" are the 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc. mirrors.