CES 2023: This sensor claims to fix smartphone camera’s poor colour reproduction – Times of India

Spectricity, a Belgium-based company, has introduced the S1 sensor that is claimed to complement a smartphone’s main camera system to offer accurate skin tone and colour reproduction.
The company says that S1 is the first miniature, mobile device-ready multispectral image sensor and the first smartphones to use this sensor are expected to launch by 2024. It also says that the technology is expected to be included in all smartphones within two years.
What does the Spectricity S1 sensor do?
Spectricity S1, the first truly miniaturised and mass-manufacturable mobile spectral image sensor, mitigates the colour fidelity (or colour reproduction) issues of smartphone cameras and “can measure true colour through the spectral signature of an object,” the company says.

How does it claim to make photos better?
The company says that the S1 sensor captures the full visible and near-infrared range at video rates, required for mobile applications. “Despite all advances in image sensor and camera technology, smartphones still cannot capture true colour as they are limited by 3 colour channels: red, green, blue,” the company notes. The sensor is used alongside the main cameras in a smartphone.
As per Vincent Mouret, CEO of Spectricity, the company is currently sampling the S1 to several smartphone manufacturers so that it can be included in upcoming models.
“We are excited to announce this breakthrough; the first ever affordable mobile spectral imager. We expect the first smartphone models with the S1 to be released in 2024 and all smartphones to include our technology within the coming years,” Mouret said.

The company CTO Jonathan Borremans said that even the “high-end smartphone camera is colour blind.” He notes that the S1 uses richer spectral signature data, resulting in much higher colour fidelity in pictures. “We’re confident that spectral imaging will become essential in all devices including a camera,” the executive added.
The S1 spectral camera sensor is also expected to drive innovation in consumer devices in personalised cosmetics, health and wellness, e-commerce, smart gardening, and authentication.