VIDEO BORESCOPE EVOLUTION

I found interesting facts about evolution of videoscopes:

• Mid 1980s: 10 mm (0.4 in.) diameter tip articulating industrial CCD video borescope, black and white chip with red, green and blue color sequencing.
• 1985: 38 mm (1.5 in.) diameter nonarticulating (pipe scope), full color CCD industrial video borescope.
• 1986: first portable system case video system - the internal dimensional analysis kit. Built in color monitor with compatible keyboard; image freeze and video discontinuity measurement; digital video image phone linkage to transmit test images stored on floppy disk.
• 1990: 11 mm (0.43 in.) diameter, articulating, full color CCD video borescope. Second generation portable system case, built in cathode ray tube, keyboard, analog to digital conversion, internal 100 MB hard drive or floppy disk; image comparison, internal modem image transmission, video cursor measurement, menu driven image processing, floppy disk loadable upgrade software and case with handle.
• 1991: first battery powered, over the shoulder portable, CCD video borescope system. Shadow reference line projection measurement, joystick activated motorized cable pull versus hand knob operated scope tip articulation; 8 mm (0.3 in.) diameter, articulating, full color CCD video borescope; third generation portable system case, built in miniature computer, digital zoom, miniature cathode ray tube, light source, camera control unit, three dimensional computer aided design wire frame measurement of stored digital images, case and handle; remote visual testing report software, text template, digital images and digital voice annotated inspector comments.
• 1992: video borescope curvilinear pipe wall pit measurement using pipe axis alignment correction; three dimensional computed aided design wire frame discontinuity measurement by video borescope.
• 1993: fourth generation portable case system with built in or remote liquid crystal display, scope camera control unit, light source, memory card and SCSI port for external digital accessory expansion options; optical borescope eyepiece discontinuity measurement using digital processor with interchangeable off the shelf CCD eyepiece camera, developed and patented in the US.
• 1995: 6 mm (0.24 in.) diameter, articulating, full color CCD video borescope.
• 1996: live transcontinental US Air Force F100 engine test via digital image exchange between Savannah, Georgia, and Berlin, Germany.
• 1997: digital store measure industrial miniature computer for scope systems; unique architecture utilizing miniature ball grid array digital signal processing to meet stringent small size specifications; simultaneous live digitized eddy current impedance plane read out on live video image; video borescope with stereoscopic measurement of discontinuity size using dual objective base line separation calculations, scope handle thumb mouse for menu navigation, internal microphone for annotation of stored images and compatible miniature liquid crystal display; hands free goggles to view tests.
• 1999: 5 mm (0.2 in.) diameter, articulating, full color CCD video borescope.
• 2000: smallest system case to date; brightest internal light source; integral system liquid crystal display in scope handle.
• 2002: fifth generation system case video borescope with live digital motion capture; USB fast digital communications port; removable plug in image storage media; personal computer programmable and activated scope articulation; depth perception and three dimensional viewing of test object's internals; 4 mm (0.16 in.) diameter, articulating, full color CCD video borescope.

You can purchase these fifth generation videoscopes here