Skip to main content

Theia develops innovative distortion-free ultra-wide-angle lenses

Today’s high-resolution cameras have many advantages if they have the right lens for the job. When that includes covering large areas or reducing cost by installing fewer cameras, you need a wide-angle lens. Fisheye style lenses with barrel distortion are routinely used to cover an ultra-wide field of view; however, they create a curved and distorted image which causes significant loss of resolution at the image edges. This presents a variety of issues for ITS applications such as difficulty in identification or recognition of objects and details.
October 26, 2022 Read time: 2 mins

 

To counter the drawbacks of fisheye-style optics, Theia Technologies has developed a suite of rectilinear lenses offering a different, ultra-wide field of view without the barrel distortion or loss of edge resolution characteristic of fisheye style lenses. Theia achieves this optically, without the use of image correction software or its inherent latency.

The company employs its patented Linear Optical Technology to create a family of multi-megapixel lenses that offer horizontal fields of view up to 135 degrees with very low distortion while improving the resolution at the image edge compared to typical wide-angle lenses.

Applications for Theia’s family of ultra-wide, low distortion lenses include providing great peripheral vision for situational awareness in navigation and remote operation of vehicles and robots used in a variety of ITS applications from logistics to assisted and unmanned vehicles. They capture wide areas at short distances such as in under-vehicle surveillance and shipping container identification, among many other imaging tasks, including applications in close-up applications such as ATMs, card-locked garage entries, and multi-door entryways where both high image detail and wide fields of view are required. Other applications for Theia’s family of ultra-wide, low-distortion lenses include effectively monitoring large areas like parking lots, multi-lane tolling stations, and warehouses.

Choosing the right lens for an application depends on many factors including field of view, required image resolution, multi-spectral capability, image format and mount, among others. To assist in lens selection, Theia offers an image resolution simulator and lens calculator that relates FOV, resolution, and object distance.

Visitors to the Theia website will find it also offers other tools and white papers for a better understanding of its lens technology and selection of the optimal lens for your application.

Content produced in association with Theia Technologies

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Network Optix to unveil Nx Go ‘Camera as a Universal Sensor’ update
    July 25, 2025

    Network Optix will be in Atlanta to unveil the latest release of its Nx Go ‘Camera as a Universal Sensor’ update, demonstrating how any camera can become a geo-coordinated IoT sensor and provide precise, real-time intelligence to modern transport systems.

  • Migrate to full Gigabit speeds
    March 12, 2012
    Moxa has announced the EDS¬G308, a full Gigabit unmanaged Ethernet switch. The device is equipped with eight Gigabit Ethernet ports with up to two selectable fiber optic 100/1000M SFP modules for the highest level of data McCain Incorporated, a leading transmission. The EDS-G308 series provides industrial grade features needed to withstand adverse conditions, including -40 to 75°C operating range, redundant dual 12/24/48 VDC, 18 to 30 VAC inputs, and rugged fibre optic support. The Ethernet switches have th
  • AAA camera research finds 46 per cent improvement in blind-zone visibility
    October 31, 2014
    Tests carried out by the American Automobile Association (AAA) on rear-view camera systems found that they improved rear visibility an average of 46 per cent. These systems are intended to improve driver awareness of the area immediately behind the vehicle in order to reduce the instance of back-over fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires a rear-view image in all passenger vehicles beginning in 2016, with full compliance by May 2018. In conjunction with the Automobile Clu
  • Teledyne Dalsa's cameras feature Sony polarised image sensor
    April 16, 2018
    Teledyne Dalsa has launched its Genie Nano-M2450-Polarised camera built around Sony's Pregius 5.1M polarised image sensor. The model features a monochrome quad polarisation filter, resolution of 2448 x 2048 pixels and aims to deliver an image capture of 35 frames-per-second. The product also utilises the company's TurboDrive technology with the intention of increasing frame rates by up to 50%. Additionally, the device is said to offer polarisation for both area and line scan (Piranha(TM)4 polarization)