Last time we covered an eyeball-like camera being developed by Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, they had developed flexible light sensors for capturing sharp images much in the same way our eyes capture images.
Now, the researchers have succeeded in taking their camera beyond human capabilities by adding a zoom feature to the eye itself:
The tiny camera combines the best of both the human eye and an expensive single-lens reflex (SLR) camera with a zoom lens. It has the simple lens of the human eye, allowing the device to be small, and the zoom capability of the SLR camera without the bulk and weight of a complex lens. The key is that both the simple lens and photodetectors are on flexible substrates, and a hydraulic system can change the shape of the substrates appropriately, enabling a variable zoom.
The newest version of the camera features a 3.5x optical zoom, although higher zooms are reportedly possible. Future versions of the camera could be used in night-vision surveillance, robotic vision, and consumer electronics, as well as endoscopic imaging.
Article from Northwestern University: Tiny ‘Eyeball’ Camera with Adjustable Zoom Could Aid Robotics, Night Vision…
Flashback: New Light Sensor Mimicks Eye for Superior Camera Performance…