It works by combining 98 tiny cameras in a single device which captures information from a specific field of view and is probably going to be used for military surveillance first.

It is developed by a team led by engineer David Brady and Michael J. Fitzpatrick, who is a professor of electric engineering at Duke’s Pratt school of Engineering, accompanied by scientists from the University of Arizona and California.

This project is funded by DARPA (United states defense advanced research projects agency) and is two and a half feet square and 20 inches deep.

Mr. Brady says, "A computer processor essentially stitches all this information into a single highly detailed image. In many instances, the camera can capture images of things that photographers cannot see themselves but can then detect when the image is viewed later."