<p>The blink of an eye seems a lifetime to mechanical engineer Arun Shukla. In one tenth of a second— about the duration of an eyelid flutter— his new camera can snap 20 million frames. </p><div class="vert-display-toggle collapsible relative flex flex-col items-center "><div class="vert-unit mt-4 mb-3 top-20"><div ad-type="mobile-desktop" class="ad-wrapper vert min-h-boombox flex items-start justify-center" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-0"></div></div><span aria-label="Advertisement" class="text-ad mt-1 text-[11px] uppercase">Advertisement</span></div><figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/18781/feb01_rdbullet-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/18781/feb01_rdbullet-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/18781/feb01_rdbullet-s.jpg" title="feb01_rdbullet.jpg" loading="lazy" data-id="18781"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption"><p class="fr-caption"></p></figcaption></figure><p>Photo by Arun Shukla</p><p>The two-foot-long, one-foot-wide device, built by Hadland Photonics in England, consists of eight digital cameras linked to a computer. As each camera takes a picture, it transfers the image to the computer and immediately snaps another. There is no mechanical shutter, and the cameras can capture images using exposure times of just five billionths of a second. With such rapid-fire shots, Shukla can produce freeze-frame images of chemical explosions or bullets hitting body armor (left). Such pictures should help engineers improve the efficiency of controlled blasts and design better armor. "People have never understood what happens in the first microsecond of these events," Shukla says. "In the past, we had to generate computer models and make assumptions. But with this camera, we can actually see." </p><div data-embedid="cade7ffa-0563-48de-839f-f84e596c0b94" id="insticator-embed-temp"></div>

February 2001

The February 2001 issue of Discover Magazine

Rendezvous with a Killer Asteroid

Mechanical engineer Arun Shukla's camera captures 20 million frames per second, revealing details of chemical explosions.

Technology

Super-Snappy Snapshots

Article

News

Kathy A Svitil

Science

The blink of an eye seems a lifetime to mechanical engineer Arun Shukla. In one tenth of a second— about the duration of an eyelid flutter— his new camera can snap 20 million frames. Photo by Arun Shukla The two-foot-long, one-foot-wide device, built by Hadland Photonics in England, consists of eight digital cameras linked to a computer. As each camera takes a picture, it transfers the image to the computer and immediately snaps another. There is no mechanical shutter, and the cameras can capture images using exposure times of just five billionths of a second. With such rapid-fire shots, Shukla can produce freeze-frame images of chemical explosions or bullets hitting body armor (left). Such pictures should help engineers improve the efficiency of controlled blasts and design better armor. "People have never understood what happens in the first microsecond of these events," Shukla says. "In the past, we had to generate computer models and make assumptions. But with this camera, we can actually see."

Discover Magazine’s award-winning journalism inspires and informs, delivering thought-provoking content that sparks meaningful conversations. With a focus on groundbreaking developments in science, technology, and the world around us, Discover highlights the impact of these innovations on our daily lives.

超快速快照

新闻简报

凯西·A·斯维蒂尔

发表于

与杀手小行星的约会

智能手机需要变得更智能吗？

这艘电动船在水面上行驶

声纳技术如何解开水下之谜

可穿戴设备能挽救你的感情吗？

这就是为什么TikTok上的反转滤镜会让你的脸看起来很奇怪

有了5G，一切都关乎速度

变形材料可以彻底改变我们的世界

5G来了。它是什么以及如何工作？

认识Angus：自主农业革命的机器人田间助手

认识YuMi：一个旨在进行巡视的机器人护士

这款皮肤贴片可以为虚拟现实设备增加触感

这款设备通过一个浮动珠子，制作出真正的3D全息图

电量不足：手机电池如何塑造我们日常生活的节奏

这款机器人短裤让日常散步感觉像移动机场步道

这款全新的虚拟现实手套让您抓取数字物体

保持好奇

加入我们的列表

订阅杂志