Although the Raspberry Pi mini computer has had its fair share of trouble regarding delivery and certification, the concept proved to be a big success. The team behind the systems is working hard on adding extra functionality in the form of expansion modules. One such module is a camera, as revealed by a recent blogpost.
The camera module connects to the CSI pins on the center of the Raspberry Pi by means of a ribbon cable. The prototype has a 14 megapixel resolution. Since affordability is one of the key factors its quite likely the final module will have a lower resolution, possibly around 5 MP. A price indication could not be given yet, as the developers first have to assess the exact required hardware.
The developers claim that the camera module will be suited for users working on robotics and home automation. One of the pictures taken by the camera shows that it is capable of producing a video stream of 30 fps, although it would drop to about 8-10 fps at its full resolution. The videostream is H.264 encoded, which means that the GPU can be used for acceleration. A downside of this technology is its licensing fees, which will unquestionably affect the retail price.
The bottom picture is taken with the camera module
