Business: Cameras That See by Sound

For instants, for instance, Polaroid outdistances Kodak

Amid the hype and hoopla that usually enliven its annual meetings in a vast warehouse at Needham, Mass., Polaroid Corp. last week pulled a few more rabbits from its seemingly bottomless hat of technological tricks. President William McCune Jr. showed off a new SX-70 camera that uses ultrasonic waves to focus its lens instantly and automatically. With unaccustomed modesty, Chairman Edwin Land, the father of instant photography, said: "This is the first development in which the only part I played was in expressing admiration for those who did the work."

Beneath a small honeycombed disc on...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!