Professor Keigo Iizuka of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto has invented the world’s first Omni-focus video camera. The Omni-focus video camera is revolutionary. It exceeds the capabilities of today’s mainstream cameras, capturing both near and far images in high resolution and real time focus.
Prof. Iizuka states that it took close to ten years to create this advanced and innovative camera. He created it in collaboration with Dr. David Wilkes, president of the Wilkes Association, a Canadian high-tech product development company. Dr. Wilkes assisted in creating the programming part of the Omni-focus video camera.
The Omni-focus video camera uses a distance mapping principle that allows users to focus on both the foreground and background at the same time. In most of today’s cameras however, when you focus closely on an object, the background is always blurry. Iizuka explains that he wanted both foreground and background to be in focus.
According to Iizuka, his first motivation for the project occurred when watching musical performances on television. He explains that when you watch television, the singer is singing with the orchestra in the background. When the camera is focused on the singer, the orchestra is always blurry. Prof. Iizuka wanted the singer as well as the orchestra to be in focus.
The invention of the Omni-focus video camera will also contribute to advances in the fields of medicine and entertainment.
Professor Iizuka states that the technology of the Omni-focus video camera can be used for medical purposes such as microscopes. When using a regular microscope, one usually has to adjust the focus many times to fit the object, especially when observing moving objects. If one does not have to worry about the focusing, it becomes easier to see what is happening in the foreground as well as background. Under these circumstances, an Omni-focus microscope would be more advantageous in comparison to the commonplace microscope.
In describing the benefits of the Omni-focus camera towards medical applications, Professor Iizuka explains his dream that someday we will be able to insert the device in the stomachs of human beings. This would allow scientists to see the fine details of stomach contents instead of having to extract samples and examine them under microscopes outside of the body. This would be possible because the Omni-focus video camera functions with the freedom of range that was not previously possible with the use of regular microscopes.
The first model of the Omni-focus video camera was relatively large, but the second model was smaller and could be elevated with a tripod. “The Omni-focus video camera is very user friendly,” says Prof. Iizuka. He also states that as long as you can operate a computer, you should be able to operate the Omni-focus video camera, since it only requires the pressing of a button.
With the invention of the Omni-focus video camera there are endless possibilities to its uses. As the camera continues to be developed by Professor Iizuka and his team of researchers, we can hope to see numerous uses for this new technology.
