Abstract: An adaptive lens (200) may feature two flexible films (202), (204) secured within a rim (210) and defining a space therebetween which is filled with an appropriate fluid (206). A piston (220), driven by at least one actuator (214a-c), may be attached to one of the films (204) to displace it with respect to the remainder of the assembly. Such action of the piston (220) distorts both films (202), (204) to change the shape of the lens and may be driven by bimorph actuators (214a-c). Distance of displacement may be calculated by measuring a magnetic field created by at least one magnet (222a-c) attached to the piston (220). Feedback control may be used to stabilize the apparatus.

Abstract: A Broadband Diffractive-Optical Element (BDOE) as a lens whose f-number and numerical aperture are decoupled. The BDOE can include a substrate and an array of optical cells formed on the substrate to have a non-linear arrangement of cell heights to diffract light into a focal spot. The geometry of the focal spot can be designed to decouple the f-number from the numerical aperture for an imaging device that employs the broadband diffractive optical element as a lens.

Abstract: An adaptive lens (200) may feature two flexible films (202), (204) secured within a rim (210) and defining a space therebetween which is filled with an appropriate fluid (206). A piston (220), driven by at least one actuator (214a-c), may be attached to one of the films (204) to displace it with respect to the remainder of the assembly. Such action of the piston (220) distorts both films (202), (204) to change the shape of the lens and may be driven by bimorph actuators (214a-c). Distance of displacement may be calculated by measuring a magnetic field created by at least one magnet (222a-c) attached to the piston (220). Feedback control may be used to stabilize the apparatus.

Abstract: A multi-modal imaging device can include a sensor array, a metamaterial filter, and a memory unit. The sensor array can be any suitable sensor which detects incoming light and is capable of recording a received image. The metamaterial filter can be oriented adjacent the sensor array and can be patterned with pixels having varied physical heights designed to diffract an incoming image to produce an engineered response which is sensitive to 2D spatial coordinates (x, y), time (t), and at least one of depth spatial coordinate (z), spectrum (?), and degree of polarization ({right arrow over (S)}). The memory unit can include instructions that, when executed by a processor, reconstruct the engineered response to produce a reconstructed image which includes the 2D spatial coordinates and at least one of z, ?, and {right arrow over (S)}.