Breakthrough in nanotechnology

[GadgetMan989]

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/519421/the-first-carbon-nanotube-computer/ If it's possible to build microscopic computer processors, is it also possible to build a microscopic camera/bug/video camera which records in good quality? Also, could you somehow make it airborne and control it like an RC drone?

[swansont]

Cameras are reliant on the number of pixels and also the optics you use. A smaller aperture has larger diffraction, which limits your resolution. So smaller pixels will not necessarily yield a better picture, even if they were not susceptible to being noisier. You are still limited by your lens.

 

http://www.dantestella.com/zeiss/resolution.html

 

Then you have the problem of the noise. Smaller pixels get fewer photons and get swamped with thermal noise if the exposure is short. But for longer exposures the camera moves and you get blurring. You can cool the sensor to reduce thermal noise, but that sorta defeats the achievement of having a small sensor. Maybe going smaller still wins, but it's a reduction in the improvement and requires additional resources.

[Phi for All]

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Moderator Note

Some posts were split off to here. What started as a valid line of questioning ended up being a discrepancy over terminology. Let's try this topic again.