I'd like to make a system with object detection and an Arudino. I see the ESP32-Cam, Nicla Vision, PixyCam, HuskyLens and various devices of that nature. I know they're small but they both have the lens attached to a board. What I'm looking for is a "remote" camera, basically just the lens, that I can connect to the edge computing device with a decently long (6-12 inch) cable.
Another option would be connecting the cameras to the Uno Q.
Does anyone have any ideas for a hardware setup that meets these requirements?
A camera is the sensing part, not the lens. Plenty of cameras have been made with NO lens. An electronic camera contains a lot of electronics to produce a photograph. You will also need that stuff.
You are probably thinking of a camera module, like these.
Most are connected to MCU boards with a ribbon cable, which requires special connectors on each end. Point to point wiring is also possible with a breakout like this one, but long loose wires will be a problem.