20/20 Vision

Camera technologies are important to our daily lives and making scientific breakthroughs. Conventional cameras use an array of pixels to measure the light in the image, however these sensors are expensive for imaging beyond the visible spectrum. We have built an infrared camera at Glasgow that does not use a pixelated sensor, but instead captures images using only one pixel and can be made sensitive to single photons. We use it to reveal hidden artwork, leaking gases and yield high-quality 3D video.

There are 39 million blind people in the world, and 80% of these cases are avoidable. Peek is a toolkit that harnesses the capabilities of smartphones for testing eyes in any situation, from surgeries to patients’ homes. It consists of a smartphone app and a low-cost clip-on adapter, which allows eye examinations in even the remotest of settings. It is easy to use, affordable and portable, empowering health workers to screen for eye diseases, and to simplify managing and monitoring treatment of patients, anywhere in the world.