Eyeball Camera with Human Eye Capabilities

Inspired by the human eye, researchers have designed a new kind of camera which has a simple lens system functioning like that of a human eye. The camera has a variable zooming capability with that of a single lens reflex or [SLR] camera. This eye ball camera is small and light weight in relation to a complex lens system and its size is less than an inch in diameter. It could be used in various fields such as endoscopic imaging, night vision surveillance, consumer electronics and robotic vision systems.

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Brainchild

Researchers from the Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign worked together in order to develop this camera. The Northwestern University’s researchers had carried out the research for developing such a camera and this research would then be published by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [PNAS].

Fact box

• Variable zoom capability

• Endoscopic imaging

• Night-vision surveillance

• Robotic vision systems

• 3.5x optical zoom

The making

Earlier, eye ball cameras had issues with zooming because of their rigid photo detectors. Off late researchers have discovered a new way to overcome such problems by using the latest flexible silicon photo detectors. These detectors are made of a thin elastic membrane which can change shapes easily to keep the image in focus. The Camera on the other hand has an integrated liquid lens made up of a thin elastic membrane placed in a chamber filled with water, with a glass frame placed below it. When the water is extracted from the chamber, the surface of the photo detectors change taking in the shape of the concave hemisphere. Meanwhile the thin membrane takes the shape of a convex hemisphere; this occurs when the water is injected into the lens chamber.

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What’s new?

The new eyeball camera is one of kind, it's different from the previous versions because of the self-adjusting lens and rigid photo detectors. These curved photo detectors mimic the functions of the retina in the human eye by operating on a soft elastic material with the help of an hydraulic system. This camera can be useful in various applications including for night vision surveillance, endoscopic images, camera's used in the medical field and for robotic vision.

What’s refreshing?

The eye ball camera is the first in its kind, with it's zooming capability at par with the human eye. It's compatibility is such that it could even help you take quality snap shots with the help of your cell phone.

Applications

This new and advanced eyeball camera is best suitable for night vision surveillances, endoscopic images, medical related operations and robotic vision. Or it simply helps you capture images, giving it a professional outlook.

Quotes:

Yonggang Huang, Joseph Cummings, says:

We were inspired by the human eye, but we wanted to go beyond the human eye. Our goal was to develop something simple that can zoom and capture good images and today we’ve achieved that.

John Rogers:

The human eye has “an interesting design because the photo detector surface like the retina has a hemispherically curved shape and that’s a lot different from a commercial digital camera, which uses a flat detector chip.

Source: MSNBC/Gizmag/TGDaily