Demonstration of an infrared microcamera inspired by Xenos peckii vision

Appl Opt. 2009 Jun 20;48(18):3368-74. doi: 10.1364/ao.48.003368.

Abstract

We present an original and compact optical system inspired by the unusual eyes of a Strepsipteran insect called Xenos peckii. It is designed for a field of view of 30 degrees and is composed of multiple telescopes. An array of prisms of various angles is placed in front of these telescopes in order to set a different field of view for each channel. This type of camera operates in the [3-5 microm] spectral bandwidth and is entirely integrated in a Dewar in order to maximize its compactness. Experimental images are presented to validate this design.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomimetic Materials*
  • Compound Eye, Arthropod / physiology*
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Equipment Design
  • Infrared Rays
  • Insecta / physiology
  • Lenses*
  • Miniaturization
  • Photography / instrumentation*
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation*
  • Transducers*
  • Vision, Ocular / physiology*