Future Samsung camera sensors could capture the invisible

Samsung is poised to go all-in on AI with the Galaxy S24 series of smartphones, but it looks like the company’s future camera sensors could get a significant AI boost as well.

Business Korea reports (h/t: SamMobile) that Samsung is working to incorporate more AI capabilities into its camera sensors. And it looks like we could get some crazy features as a result of this integration. More specifically, Samsung apparently wants to offer image sensors that can capture the invisible by 2027.

The outlet didn’t elaborate on what kind of invisible details could be captured, but we’ve got a vague idea of what to expect based on earlier smartphones.

Cameras that make the invisible visible?

We’ve previously seen phones with FLIR thermal cameras that are able to capture heat energy. We’ve also seen brands like HUAWEI offering a dedicated sensor that helps capture fluorescent photos when paired with a conventional camera. So it would be a real breakthrough if Samsung is able to capture invisible info like this via a conventional camera sensor rather than relying on a specialized sensor. 2020’s OnePlus 8 Pro also had a color filter camera that accidentally offered limited X-ray vision, allowing users to see through some articles of clothing. Needless to say, we hope Samsung doesn’t take cues from that saga.

Business Korea didn’t clarify whether this tech was coming to smartphone camera sensors in the first place. It’s therefore possible that these future camera sensors apply to other segments such as the automotive, medical, and industrial sectors.

The outlet adds that Samsung has also set a long-term goal to offer “humanoid sensors” that can replicate human senses. It seems like this goal referred to humanoid sensors in general rather than humanoid camera sensors, judging by the firm’s previous disclosures on the topic. Nevertheless, Samsung has previously stated its ambition to offer camera sensors that have the resolution of the human eye (500 to 600MP).