Miniaturising artificial compound eyes based on advanced micronanofabrication techniques
Lin Zhu, Yong‐Lai Zhang, Hong‐Bo Sun
Abstract
Compound eyes (CEs) are advanced optical visual systems with distinct features of large view-fields, infinite depth of field, and dynamic imaging capability, revealing their significant potential in applications including robot vision, unmanned aerial vehicle detection, and medical diagnosis. Compared with macroscopic CEs, which primarily comprise multicamera arrays, compact integrated CEs have garnered significant attention because of their portability and possibility of flexible integration with microrobots and in-vivo medical facilities. To date, considerable effort has been devoted to this field, in which manufacturing technologies are vital to the development of artificial CEs (ACEs) capable of large field-of-view imaging, depth information collection, and three-dimensional imaging. Challenges and opportunities exist for the practical application of advanced ACEs. This paper reviews state-of-the-art technologies for manufacturing ACEs, and then briefly summarises their potential applications in different fields. Finally, the current challenges and perspectives of ACEs are discussed.