Scallop's Novel Color Filters Improve Low-Light Imaging

Scallop Imaging, a division of Tenebraex, presents "Gemini Technology: Color imaging under all lighting conditions, including extreme low light". The company says "we have developed a new system of producing color video imagery in low light that offers an order of magnitude better low light performance compared to standard RGB sensors.

Instead of the standard RGB three-filter set, our Gemini system uses unique high transmission color filters to produce a full color image from two channels under all lighting conditions, including extreme low light".

Scallop says that from its research over the years in human color vision it has developed a system that human observer perceives at full color despite only 2 colors are being used.

Not much more info is given. A 112MB video file from 1.2MP monochrome CMOS sensor (3.75 µm pixel) equipped with Gemini color filters compares to the color version of the same image sensor.

A video frame recorded at 0.18 lux (equivalent to 3/4 moon), 15 fps taken with

a color 1.2 megapixel image sensor.

Capture from video - same image as above post-processed to add brightness

A Gemini prototype video frame taken with the same exposure and frame rate

as above, with monochrome 1.2 Mpixel image sensors equipped with Gemini

color filters.

0.06 Lux (equivalent to crescent moon), 15fps Capture from Gemini video

Magnified image shows there are only two color channels.

Thanks to EC for the link!

Update: Added another snapshot of Gemini technology demo from the video - the picture below was created out of one monochrome and one filtered channel: