This is the smallest video camera in the world and is about the size of a grain of sand

The world’s smallest camcorder is so tiny it could easily get lost in your pocket fluff! Developed by some smart-pants researchers at the University of Washington and made by the OmniVision Technologies gang, this little camera is downright laughable.

So how small are we talking about? It has a measly size of 0.65 x 0.65 x 1.158mm, which is roughly the size of a grain of sand! So, you probably don’t want to take it to the beach with you.

The camera is built on a metasurface made up of more than 1.6 million cylindrical struts that act like a camera sensor. Each pole works like an optical antenna, receiving light and shaping the optical wavefront, which is really next-level stuff.

Despite its tiny size, this camera can capture images with a resolution of 200 x 200 (that’s 40,000 pixels) at 30 frames per second. To put that into perspective, it’s even better than a Gameboy screen, and it’s in color too!

Sure, it’s not HD, but let’s cut it. The camera was specifically designed to fit human veins to assist doctors with diagnoses and surgeries, which is pretty crazy! It’s amazing what technology can do these days.

Oh yeah, it’s also the Guinness World Record winner for “Smallest Commercially Available Image Sensor.”

Here are the details that were shared:

OMNIVISION’s OVM6948 CameraCubeChip®® is a fully packaged wafer-level camera module measuring 0.65 mm x 0.65 mm, with a z-height of only 1.158 mm, ideal for single-use devices that operate from the smallest part of the anatomy. The camera module is derived from an ultra-small image sensor, the OV6948, winner of the Guinness World Record for “Smallest commercially available image sensor*”, with its dimensions of 0.575 mm x 0.575 mm. This complete module can be integrated into a disposable guidewire, catheter or endoscope with a minimum diameter of 1.0 mm. With this camera’s small size and high backlit resolution of 200 x 200 or 40 KPixels, you can capture high-quality images from inside the body’s narrowest blood vessels for neurological, ophthalmic, ENT, cardiac, spinal, urological, gynecological and arthroscopic.

The OVM6948 is the only ultra-small chip-on-tip camera with a backlight, providing excellent image quality and improved low-light performance to help reduce LED heat, along with improved sensitivity. Offers a high-quality, compact solution for single-use guidewires, catheters and endoscopes, which are experiencing increasing demand due to their ability to reduce cross-contamination risks, downtime inefficiencies and costs associated with repairs, testing pre-procedures and sterilization of reusable endoscopes. Benefiting from the sensor’s low power consumption of just 25 mW, less heat is generated for improved patient comfort and flexible procedure durations.

Other key features of this camera module include a large 120 degree field of view and an extended focus range from 3mm to 30mm. Its image array is capable of capturing 200 x 200 resolution images and video at up to 30 frames per second, and its analog output can transmit over 4 meters with minimal noise.

* Current Guinness World Record title held by OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. – Smallest commercially available image sensor. The smallest commercially available image sensor is the OV6948, measuring 0.575 mm x 0.575 mm x 0.232 mm, manufactured by OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. (USA). The record is based on product testing and market research conducted by Transparency Market Research in Pune, India on April 10, 2019.