A Survey of Computational Photography in the Small: Creating intelligent cameras for the next wave of miniature devices

Abstract

The sheer ubiquity of smartphones and other mobile vision systems has begun to transform the way that humans and machines interact with each other and the way that they interact with the world. Even so, a new wave of widespread computing is on the horizon, with devices that are even smaller. These are micro and nano platforms, with feature sizes less than one millimeter. These types of platforms are quickly maturing out of research labs. These devices can potentially induce futuristic applications; for example, swarms of robotic flapping insects could have applications in agriculture and security, while medical devices such as those described in and would enable body area networks and minimally invasive procedures. Devices such as those described in are commercially available and could allow the creation of far-flung sensor networks.