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Researchers Create Artificial Insect Eye

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the fly-spy dept.

maxzilla writes "An artificial insect eye that could be used in ultra-thin cameras has been developed by scientists in the US.The dimpled eye, contains over 8,500 hexagonal lenses packed into an area the size of a pinhead. The dome-shaped structure, described in the journal Science, is similar to a bee's eye. The researchers, from the University of California, Berkeley, say the work may also shed light on how insects developed such complex, visual systems. Darpa is also funding this project with applications expected for digital cameras and high speed motion detectors."

8 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. Hooray! by Sathias · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now we won't have to provide blind insects with guide dogs!

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    Blessed are the 1337, for they shall pwn the earth.
  2. I'll be impressed by Physician · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'll be impressed when they can transplant this eye into a poor blind insect.

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    1. Re:I'll be impressed by Fred_A · · Score: 4, Funny

      Typical of those egoistical scientists. Always out to make a quick buck when they could do something useful helping out crippled insects. Bastards.

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      May contain traces of nut.
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    2. Re:I'll be impressed by Bloke+down+the+pub · · Score: 5, Funny
      Actually they tried that but the testing was rather difficult.

      Doc: Can you read the top line on the chart?
      Insect: Zzzzzzz.

      Doc: Now the third line.
      Insect: Zzzzzzz.

      Doc: [Sigh] And the bottonm one, please.
      Insect: Zzzzzzz.

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  3. Re:And for their next trick... by Compuser · · Score: 5, Funny

    They mention swallowing a diagnostic tool
    to see the insides of your stomach. The tool
    would have this lens, some imaging chip and
    a wireless link.
    Now imagine swallowing a cockroach...

  4. Surveilance! by putko · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you thought those fiber-optic based surveillance cams were bad, you'll hate these even more.

    Yeah, this will find tons of apps in all sorts of useful places, but at a certain point, they'll be so cheap that you'll have to be afraid that people have hidden them somewhere, and that you are being watched.

    This will be like camera phones, but squared and then cubed.

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  5. A bit premature by Fred_A · · Score: 5, Insightful

    According to TFA, "At the moment, the artificial eye is not connected to any kind of imaging device.".

    I understand that whoever made this thing is eager to show it around but shouldn't they actually wait until they have something to show ?
    It's becoming the norm nowadays to announce stuff that's only half done... I don't know if it's to satisfy investors or what but it sounds quite silly.

    "look, we have this great insectile artificial eye !"

    "impressive, what does it see ?"

    "we don't know"

    Well, duh.

    --

    May contain traces of nut.
    Made from the freshest electrons.
  6. Re:And for their next trick... by CRCulver · · Score: 5, Interesting

    When will they be getting around to the rest of the artificial insect?

    In his book The Age of Spiritual Machines , futurist Ray Kurzweil ventures that the transformation of humans from flesh-and-blood to total machine bodies will start with small augmentations like this, proceeding step by step until everything original is replaced.