Liquid crystal lens coming to smartphones

Photography start-up LensVector has created an autofocus lens based on liquid crystals. The lens does not use moving parts to focus, but changes the position of the liquid crystals.

According to the developers, the lens uses up to eighty percent less energy than “traditional” mechanical lenses that are currently standard in many smartphones and other mobile devices. The device has no moving parts, which would also reduce production costs because no autofocus motors need to be built in.

The first generation of lenses has already been placed in phones under the Karbonn brand by smartphone maker Vital Mobile. The LensVector lens is integrated into a 5-megapixel camera module from Sunny Optotech. LensVector’s goal is to ship the ‘next generation’ LV4522 before the end of the year. This second-generation liquid crystal lens has a “drasically higher resolution,” minimum focus distance of five centimeters, and could focus twice as fast as most mechanical lenses, according to the press release.

The current lens and the next generation are based on patented technology in which a cell filled with liquid crystals can vary in focus by applying a small electric field across the lens, which changes the position of the crystals.