A bit of (nano)science fiction about cameras and photography

After the previous posting about sensors vs. lens resolution I continued thinking about where the camera sensor technology is headed. We are not yet in nanoscience-level technology here, but I think nanoscience will soon have an impact in cameras.

In contrast to film, current sensors use a deterministic grid-type structure, usually a regular two-dimensional grid of square elements, but in some cases also hexagonal geometry. Does this need to be so?

In film, the photoactive grains are distributed evenly on the large scale, but more or less randomly in smaller scale. In high-ISO films there are both big grains (very sensitive) and small grains (less sensitive), which provides the attractive appearance of the images. This is missing from most high-ISO sensors, making digital high-ISO photos less attractive in the artistic sense.

Would a similar non-deterministic process be feasible for constructing camera sensors? With current state-of-the-art nanotechnology this is not too farfetched. Using chemical and biological processes plus self-organization and such fancy innovations it might be possible to "grow" camera sensors, each one similar at the large scale but different in the small scale (details). Such a sensor could have differentiation (several different types and sizes on sensors), 3D structure, and perhaps reduncancy so that if one element fails it can easily be replaced.

Continuing in this direction, it might be needed to "train" the sensor for observations, in the same way as biological systems learn by adapting to the environment. In fact, it might be possible to continue this learning process while the photographer uses the camera. The sensor would adapt to the photographer, so that it develops a distinct style of its own.

Perhaps there would arise especially advanced and distinguished cameras and photographers which would co-evolve towards a unique peak artistic expression. Like a violin and a master violinist, there would be a photographer and his/her camera.

Well, as promised, this was a science fiction type posting. But perhaps we will see something like this in the future.