4D imaging with liquid crystal microlenses

Most images captured by a camera lens are flat and two dimensional. Increasingly, 3D imaging technologies are providing the crucial context of depth for scientific and medical applications. 4D imaging, which adds information on light polarization, could open up even more possibilities, but usually the equipment is bulky, expensive and complicated. Now, researchers have developed self-assembling liquid crystal microlenses that can reveal 4D information in one snapshot.