U.S. scientists say they've created new imaging technology that captures 250 pictures a second and is powered by water, sound and surface tension.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers say their newly created technology could lead to smarter and lighter cameras in cell phones, automobiles and even autonomous robots.

The new "camera" has an adaptive liquid lens comprised of a pair of water droplets that vibrate when exposed to a high-frequency sound, and that, in turn, change the focus of the lens. By using imaging software to automatically capture in-focus frames and discard any out of focus frames, the researchers can create streaming images from lightweight, low-cost, high-fidelity miniature cameras.

"The lens is easy to manipulate with very little energy, and it's almost always in focus no matter how close or far away it is from an object," said Professor Amir Hirsa, who led the project. "There is no need for high voltages or other exotic activation mechanisms, which means this new lens may be used and integrated into any number of different applications and devices."

Results of the research is available online in the journal Nature Photonics and will appear in the journal's October print edition.