{"id":761837,"date":"2026-06-26T15:49:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/761837\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T15:49:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:49:09","slug":"newly-invented-pixel-could-turn-screens-into-cameras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/761837\/","title":{"rendered":"Newly Invented Pixel Could Turn Screens Into Cameras"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pixels control and analyze light on displays\u2014they\u2019re part of the reason you\u2019re reading this sentence right now. But it\u2019s typically one or the other. A pixel either controls or analyzes, but not at the same time.<\/p>\n

Researchers from ETH Zurich in Switzerland, however, managed to create a new type of pixel that can simultaneously do both. This hypercharged pixel, called a Fourier pixel, can generate and sense arbitrary light fields and tap into a pixel\u2019s full potential for carrying information by manipulating light\u2019s intensity, oscillation phases, and polarization. The team reported its findings in a paper<\/a> published yesterday in Nature.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the team anticipates these pixels could support next-generation technologies such as holographic displays, augmented reality, or devices that can actively correct their output based on what they detect. The technology could also pave the way for camera\u2013display devices that both display images and sense incoming light.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Fourier pixel expands the functionality of conventional pixels by exploiting surface waves that interact with a precisely designed wavy microstructure,\u201d study co-authors Yannik Glauser<\/a> and Sander Vonk<\/a> told Gizmodo. \u201cIn this sense, it is not just an intensity pixel but a compact optical element for full-field light control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ability is important because light can carry a lot of information if we can completely control all of its attributes,\u201d added David Norris<\/a>, the study\u2019s co-author and an optical physicist who led the team.<\/p>\n

Unlocking light\u2019s potential <\/p>\n

Currently, pixels\u2014short for \u201cpicture elements\u201d\u2014locally measure or emit light intensity, working only with one property of light, according to the paper. But in recent years, researchers have explored ways to tamper with varying properties of light in the search for next-generation information technologies, such as Microsoft\u2019s Project Silica<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs optical technologies become more advanced, whether in displays, sensing, communication, or imaging, we will need devices that can handle the full complexity of light,\u201d explained Glauser and Vonk, a doctoral student and postdoctoral researcher in optics, respectively. Fourier pixels, which offer bidirectional control of light, represent one step in that direction, they added.<\/p>\n

Ripples of the light <\/p>\n

Fourier pixels are built on several basic phenomena in optical physics. They\u2019re called that because the mathematical principles at play were devised by mathematician Joseph Fourier, explained Norris. In previous work<\/a>, the team had come up with a technique to create arbitrarily wavy surfaces based on Fourier\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\"FourierA \u201cFourier surface\u201d created by the team in a previous study. \u00a9 David Norris <\/p>\n

This was a key component of Fourier pixels, Norris added, as they hinted to the team that there was a way for precisely engineered surfaces to interact with the various properties of light. For the latest results, the researchers expanded upon this idea. Specifically, they tested if these scattered lightwaves could be converted into guided waves and into an optical pattern that carries relevant information.<\/p>\n

\"FourierIllustrations of how the Fourier pixel responds to incoming light to create images. \u00a9 Norris et al., 2026 <\/p>\n

In other words, the pixel\u2014here, the sculpted part of an interface\u2014can both generate and sense the key properties of light (amplitude, oscillation phases, and polarization) to represent images or information. What\u2019s more, designing these pixels requires relatively simple mathematics, which makes them \u201cflexible and convenient for potential applications,\u201d Norris said.<\/p>\n

Pixels of the future <\/p>\n

According to a university statement, Fourier pixels could contribute to two-way camera displays, in which each pixel both emits and detects light. To Gizmodo, Glauser and Vonk explained that these next-generation devices \u201ccould not only show an image but also sense how light from the environment or a user interacts with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the latest work, the team succeeded in creating very small arrays of Fourier pixels, Norris admitted, adding that such camera displays at the moment are in the realm of speculation. But it\u2019s a fascinating step in an unexplored direction. In theory, Fourier pixels could come in handy in designing \u201cadaptive optics, holographic displays, augmented reality, optical communication, or devices that actively correct their output based on what they detect,\u201d said Glauser and Vonk.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I find the combination of simple math and precise fabrication extremely beautiful,\u201d Norris said. \u201cThe math predicts some crazy wavy pattern for a specific optical output. We go and make that pattern on the surface and the device immediately creates the output that we want. In other words, math really works!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pixels control and analyze light on displays\u2014they\u2019re part of the reason you\u2019re reading this sentence right now. But…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":761838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,59935,105],"class_list":["post-761837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-optics","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/761838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=761837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=761837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}