Researchers invent 'new type of pixel' that could create displays that double as cameras and the internet's first thought is 'what could go wrong?'

Date:
Sat, 27 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Description:
ETH Zurich researchers have found a way to both emit and analyze light from the same surface.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter A new type of pixel is capable of both controlling and analyzing light It's based on the Fourier
mathematical tool We'll have to wait some time to get this in our gadget screens Screens that double up as cameras could be packed into future
gadgets, as researchers from ETH Zurich in Switzerland have developed a new type of pixel that can analyze and create images simultaneously.

These bidirectional pixels are able to both control and read the intensity, oscillation, phase, and polarization of light, and they're based on the fundamental physics of interfering light waves. The pixels are carefully sculpted at the nanometer level to direct light as it hits the surface and gets scattered. At the same time as the light is traveling across the pixel and being scattered back out to the viewer, creating the required images and patterns, an analysis of the incoming light can be carried out as well all
on the same pixel. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

The approach "establishes a scalable, universal architecture for vectorially programmable pixels with applications in adaptive optics, holographic displays, optical communication, and quantum information processing," write the researchers in their paper on the new pixel, which is published in Nature . Scaling up Tiny surface ridges are used to control the light (Image credit: Glauser YM, Vonk SJW, et al., Nature 2026) The pixel is termed a Fourier
pixel after the mathematical tool that the component is based on. It's essentially a way of breaking down a complex output signal into a series of waves that can be controlled more easily like the light fields here. You may like Researchers have found a way to combine NAND and DRAM technologies Chinese scientists ran an AI program on a virtual light-based computer system inside its real 'digital twin' PC Samsung has created the 2D/3D switchable screen tech of the future

It's still early days for the research, and there will be challenges scaling this up. Right now the pixels need laser light as a source, and are fixed in what they can display this isn't like a TV screen that can show anything, although there are several potential routes through which the tech could be developed in that direction.

The reactions on Reddit are perhaps a sign of our current technology times,
as people have instantly latched on to the surveillance potential. "Screens that are also cameras, what could go wrong?" reads one poster, while another says that "I ain't ever buying a device with that technology". Fans of dystopian sci-fi have also been inspired to quote sections from 1984 about 'telescreens' , which were two-way televisions and security cameras used to monitor citizens. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Interesting related piece of tech history of the day: the term 'pixel', originally 'picture element', was used in print for the first time in 1927,
so next year marks a century since the words (now word) were originally introduced. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The best laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/computing-components/researchers-invent-ne w-type-of-pixel-that-could-create-displays-that-double-as-cameras-and-the-inte rnets-first-thought-is-what-could-go-wrong


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