Single lens produces 3D microscopic images
[Philip Lelyveld comment: it sounds like the object must be much smaller than the lens, which makes this solution the same has having many camera positions on a small scale.]
A lens that enables microscopic objects to be seen from nine different angles at once to create a 3D image has been invented by engineers at the Ohio State University.
The new lens is the first single, stationary lens to create microscopic 3D images by itself.
Allen Yi, associate professor of integrated systems engineering at Ohio State, and postdoctoral researcher Lei Li, called the lens a proof of concept for manufacturers of microelectronics and medical devices, who currently use very complex machinery to view the tiny components that they assemble.
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