Digital cameras with designs inspired by the arthropod eye

摘要: In arthropods, evolution has created a remarkably sophisticated class of imaging systems, with wide-angle field view, low aberrations, high acuity to motion and an infinite depth field. A challenge in building digital cameras the hemispherical, compound apposition layouts arthropod eyes is that essential design requirements cannot be met existing planar sensor technologies or conventional optics. Here we present materials, mechanics integration schemes afford scalable pathways working, arthropod-inspired nearly full hemispherical shapes (about 160 degrees). Their surfaces are densely populated by elements (artificial ommatidia), which comparable number (180) those fire ants (Solenopsis fugax) bark beetles (Hylastes nigrinus). The devices combine elastomeric optical deformable arrays thin silicon photodetectors into integrated sheets can elastically transformed from geometries they fabricated for cameras. Our results quantitative ray-tracing-based simulations illustrate key features operation. These general strategies seem applicable other eye devices, such as inspired moths lacewings (refracting superposition eyes), lobster shrimp (reflecting houseflies (neural eyes).