CDM's imaging system, it passes first through conventional optical elements, and then through a lens moulded into a shape of a cubic-like function (ie, with a surface which, instead of being spherical, is relatively flat in the centre but has scalloped edges).

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Both include Balanced Optical SteadyShot, which moves the entire lens module (not just specific elements) for much more effective stabilization, especially when zoomed in.

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"Theoretically if you construct the elements we've made at terahertz frequencies, make them even smaller and then scale them up to optical frequencies, you could have perfect lensing at those frequencies, " said co-author Dr Willie Padilla of the University of California, San Diego.

BBC: Last Updated: Monday, 8 March 2004, 09:03 GMT