Given Imaging includes Aptina’s image sensor in its PillCam capsule

Aptina announced today that Given Imaging Ltd.’s PillCam® COLON 2 includes Aptina’s MT9S526 medical image sensor. All three of Given Imaging’s patient-friendly, ingestible PillCam^® products for small bowel, esophageal, and now colon imaging include Aptina’s sensors embedded within the Given Imaging capsules. Aptina’s 10-year partnership with Given Imaging reflects the companies’ strong relationship and has helped propel Aptina into the leadership position in the medical image sensor market.*

“Aptina has clearly demonstrated a commitment to innovation and technology improvement.”

“With each successive generation, Aptina has worked with Given Imaging’s PillCam^® capsule design team to meet increasingly demanding performance specifications, to accommodate faster frame rates and reduced power and light requirements,” says Kevin Rubey, chief operating officer of Given Imaging. “Aptina has clearly demonstrated a commitment to innovation and technology improvement.”

Given Imaging’s unique PillCam^® solutions leverage the strengths of CMOS image sensors to enable innovative products that would not be possible with older CCD technology used in the legacy endoscope market. The sensor’s ability to capture images in low light, its ultra low power consumption, and added sensor functionality such as color balance and image processing support all make CMOS a better match for the capsule endoscope.

“We have had a strong working relationship with Given Imaging for a decade now,” says David Zimpfer, business unit general manager. “We are committed to being the technology leader within medical devices. Being able to work with Given Imaging has allowed us to stretch our vision of medical imaging.”

The MT9S526 was designed specifically for medical applications where ultra low power extends battery life, and low-light sensitive solutions can capture images in the dark—all in the small form factor required to fit inside an ingestible pill. PillCam^® COLON 2 includes two image sensors that can produce a wide range of frame rates up to 35 frames per second, utilizing a 5.6-micron pixel in a 1/6-inch optical format and enclosed in sub-4mm chip scale packages.