Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have produced a microchip-sized digital camera that can provide sight for the US military’s insect-sized aircraft. The researchers say that the tiny camera is so lightweight that it can be carried by the tiny surveillance drones. They also state that the camera uses very little power, reports New Scientist magazine.

In the latest minicams, the image sensors and support circuitry are on separate microchips. Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena has stuffed all the parts of a camera onto one low-power chip, according to a US patent filed last week. The researchers say that the device can be radio-controlled using a secure frequency-hopping link from up to a kilometre away. They attribute this design to Pentagon and NASA funding

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