The University of Barcelona promotes the development of a new generation of ultra-fast infrared cameras
The University of Barcelona (UB), through the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation and with the support of Banco Santander, has granted a €25,000 grant to the project Portable high-speed infrared camera based on coded light, led by Dr. Martí Duocastella, professor at the Faculty of Physics of the University of Barcelona (UB). The resources have been awarded within the Proof of Concept grants of the Funds for the Promotion of Innovation (F2I) 2023 call.
Cameras, thanks to their ability to capture high-resolution images, have become indispensable tools in the world of science and industry. Despite advances in sensitivity and pixel count, most current cameras have insufficient image speed to characterize rapid events, such as those that occur in living biological systems or industrial production lines.
For these cases, it is possible to use special, faster cameras, called high-speed cameras, which can capture thousands of frames per second. Unfortunately, these are bulky, expensive, and designed to work with visible light. This last point is relevant: “invisible” light cameras, such as infrared cameras, offer exclusive benefits, from obtaining the chemical fingerprint of materials to night vision or deep penetration into biological tissues. So far, there is no inexpensive high-speed camera capable of operating with infrared light while maintaining a small size.
Dr. Martí Duocastella’s project aims to fill this gap and develop a compact high-speed infrared camera. The proposal is based on the use of a single-pixel camera. These cameras offer extraordinary advantages, such as having a response time of less than nanoseconds, being compact, inexpensive, and able to be sensitive to infrared light. However, since they only have one pixel, they do not have spatial resolution.
Aid to promote transfer
The purpose of the Fund for the Impulse of Innovation call is to promote innovation and value projects of the University of Barcelona that have a high potential for transfer and impact on our society.
Proof of Concept grants are aimed at UB researchers leading transfer projects in which the University owns or co-owns both prior knowledge and technology as well as the results for which the grant is requested.
Since 2016, the Funds for the Promotion of Innovation program has favored the creation of six spin-offs – AIGecko Technologies, Bluephage, ColorSensing, Mind & Identity, Neurekalab, and Virtual Bodyworks – has licensed six technologies, and has boosted over five million euros in public and private financing.