Miniature camera thanks to insect eyes

The camera uses " eye bug " lens with an angle of view that is 6 times larger than traditional cameras. It was small enough to get into the stomach and light enough to mount on a rocket.

A sample of an insect eye-simulation camera, called BugEye , is being tested at BAE Systems (UK) military and aviation equipment manufacturer.

The eye of an insect has a wide viewing angle because it is made up of thousands of tiny lenses (called eye cells). Their brain collects images from the lens into a complete picture.

To achieve the same angle of view as an insect eye, cameras must be placed on a movable mold or made up of multiple fisheye lenses to be able to observe details in a wide range.

" Both systems are large and will account for most of the volume and volume of the camera, " said Leslie Laycock, an expert working for BAE Systems weapons manufacturing company.

Many research groups have sought to reduce the size and volume of cameras by simulating the structure of insect eyes. Someone can build such a camera, but its resolution is very low because each lens only sends one pixel to the sensor.

To build BugEye, Leslie's team only used 9 lenses, each looking at a part of the scene. These lenses are connected to millions of optical fibers. Thanks to the optical fiber, the image is transmitted to specific areas on a light-sensitive flat chip. Image processing software is used to stitch them together, forming a complete image.

BugEye's lens is smaller and lighter than a fisheye lens with the same viewing angle as it uses less glass. BugEye is about the same size as a matchbox and is one-tenth the weight of those that use fish lenses or portable molds.

Photos taken by BugEye are assembled from images provided by 9 lenses.It gives viewers a wider viewing angle than traditional cameras.(Photo: BAE Systems)

BugEye helps people track the missile's path more accurately. Leslie believes that it can also make surgeons' work easier by bringing a bigger and clearer image. Now endoscopic devices use mobile mirrors to change the view, but the system is relatively bulky and the parts are very perishable. BugEye can help endoscopic devices become more compact and durable.

Emma Johnson, an expert in biological simulations of the University of Reading (UK), said that BugEye will open a revolution in human photography. She pointed out that the presence of multiple lenses makes the camera more flexible because it can still capture images when a lens is obscured.