This picture was taken by using a DRAM chip as an image sensor (translated). A decapped 64k DRAM chip was combined with optics that could focus an image onto the die. By reading data out of the DRAM, the image could be constructed.
Who'd even think of trying that 
cjdelphi:
Who'd even think of trying that
Steve Ciarcia back in the early 1980s showed how to do this in his "Circuit Cellar" articles in Byte Magazine.
Martin Bradley Weinstein showed a similar (maybe same?) system dubbed "Ramera" in his book "Android Design", also published in the early 1980s.
The concept/idea might even be older than both of those pioneers.
It's an interesting way to make a camera, but unfortunately to re-create such a system today you have to basically destroy vintage DRAM; well, not really destroy it per-se, as that would render it unusable - but you are decreasing it's collector value - metal capped ceramic ICs from the era tend to have a pretty good collector value, depending on the part.
DRAM was plentiful enough that it probably isn't going to fetch a fair amount, but why bother to do this kind of thing (beyond the hack value - which was already proven in the 1980s - and useful back then) for a low-res camera when there are tons of better, more modern options out there?
I guess I just cringe at this sort of thing, because that kind of stuff isn't being made any longer, and our old vintage machines are slowly failing and needing parts...
and here's me thinking it involved taking photographs whilst supping at a glass of the "water of life"
Should work as a mini X-ray camera without taking the lid off... Some safety issues of course.
I was just reading through and saving the translated version of the article, when I noticed that at the bottom, the author referenced Ciarcia's article...