Hitachi has developed a camera technology which allows video imagery to be recorded without a lens. What’s more, the imagery can be focused after recording. All this is made possible by a film printed with a pattern of concentric circles. The new technology enables cameras which are lighter and thinner because they do not need a lens, and it makes it easier to mount cameras anywhere desired on various devices.
 
With this technology the recording contains depth information as well as normal image information, making it possible to reproduce the imagery with any desired focus even after recording. The ability to focus on specific objects in the image makes this technology suitable for a wide range of applications, including task assistance, driverless vehicles, and analysis of human behavior with phones, vehicles and robots.

Other systems which enable focusing after recording, such as plenoptic or light-field cameras, have the drawback that they require complex lenses. The camera technology developed by Hitachi is based on the Moiré patterns created by the superposition of concentric circles. It combines the image recording function with a post-recording focusing function that works the same way as with a plenoptic camera, but with a camera that is very thin and lightweight. In addition, the required image processing power is reduced by a factor of 300 compared to light-field cameras because relatively simple Fourier transforms are used.