CLASE
From Elan Vital Wiki
An acronym for "Compound Lens Architecture Surveillance Eye", the CLASE is directly based off of the technology developed for the Dragonfly micro-UAV by Patricia Chandliss. While the technology itself is not new, several new techniques had to be developed in order to miniaturize them to the degree that they are all contained within a casing of about 3" x 2" x 1".
While the most common model is a hemisphere camera embedded in a case with wireless transmission capabilities, there are also optional configurations which can be manufactured with a minimum of adjustments.
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Compound Lens Camera
The camera may be composed of a hemisphere or full sphere of lenses - or, really, any number of degrees of an arc, though the more surface area available for lenses, the better. Patterned after the compound eyes of insects, each lens is a fixed focal length convex surface which is laid directly atop the photoreceptor substrate. With overlapping views, software is able to "stitch" these individual sources of imagery into a single, coherent picture. Quality is on a par with mid-level digital cameras in well-lit environments; in low-light conditions, quality may drop considerably though many image-manipulation software will have algorithms which can compensate considerably for lack of clarity and artificial artifacts.
Because each lens is capturing its own imagery, the hundreds of overlapping views allows for manual focus determination. This is considered a post-processing step. Software can calculate which lens captured the clearest imagery for an object which the user wishes to focus on, and discards image data from other lenses which would blur it. Thus, a snapshot or video of a scene (and, note, that this would be a 260-degree view in all directions of a 3-dimensional axis, not on a single plane) may be "panned" through on the X and Y axes to bring different items in the fore and backgrounds into focus, and even artificially adjust the depth of field. (Note, that this is NOT to be confused with zoom. The Dragonfly may not "zoom" except in the most original sense, of actually moving closer to the target object.)
Casing
In deference to applications which may need to take into account the presence of unwary Celestians nearby, the casing is composed of polymer-lined metal alloys and doubles as light EM shielding. It is recommended that the CLASE be mounted at a height or distance which would generally guarantee at least 10 feet of clearance between the unit and any casual pedestrian.
Wireless
The units may be fitted with a wireless card and antenna, allowing wireless receipt of the imagery captured by the camera. While convenient, the wireless option does put a drain upon the power source - this is, by far, the most power-hungry feature of a CLASE. However, this may be offset by the convenience of the ability to review imagery immediately - otherwise, if going only with the on-board storage option, footage may not be reviewed until a cable is physically connected to the unit.
Storage
While all CLASEs are fitted with enough memory to act as a buffer for processing the gathered imagery into a single feed, actual storage of the video within the unit is optional. For instance, imagery may be transmitted directly via wireless, presumably to another device which will be acting as the storage space.
Pros
- Backup - if the imagery is being transmitted wirelessly, the wireless link itself might encounter interference, or the device that is set to receive the imagery may not be always available. Thus, any footage that is sent during these times would be lost.
- A lesser drain upon the power source than going with a wireless transmission option.
Cons
- A further drain upon the power source, though solid-state memory manages to keep this to a minimum.
- If used without the wireless transmission option, there is no way to review the footage it has stored unless someone physically removes and connects a cable to the unit.
Power Source
The battery option may power a unit up to a week, depending on the options selected. This may be extended with a photocell surfacing option, in which a layer of photocells are laid down upon the case's surface with a protective resin coat. This, of course, would only prove useful if the unit is positioned in an area with an ample amount of light for a few hours each day.
Attachment Surface
Any face of the unit's case may be coated with the same micro-hair surfacing which the dragonfly UAV's feet use to adhere to surfaces upon which it perches. Though it is generally encouraged to adhere to the unit to a smooth, flat surface, since it is only required that enough Van der Waals force be generated to support the unit's weight, anything which allows at least four square inches of the case to be in contact with the substrate will do.
