A transparent thin-film sensor for multi-focal image reconstruction and depth estimation

We present a fully transparent and flexible light-sensing film that, based on a single thin-film luminescent concentrator layer, supports simultaneous multi-focal image reconstruction and depth estimation without additional optics. Together with the sampling of two-dimensional light fields propagated inside the film layer under various focal conditions, it allows entire focal image stacks to be computed after only one recording that can be used for depth estimation. The transparency and flexibility of our sensor unlock the potential of lensless multilayer imaging and depth sensing with arbitrary sensor shapes--enabling novel human-computer interfaces.