Bats and flies inspire new class of bionic 3D camera

The combined attributes from the natural world have resulted in multidimensional imaging with extraordinary depth range that can scan through blind spots.

Powered by computational image processing, the camera can decipher the size and shape of objects hidden around corners or behind other items. The technology could be incorporated into autonomous vehicles or medical imaging tools with sensing capabilities far beyond what is considered state of the art today, the team claimed. Their research has been published in Nature Communications.

In the dark, bats visualise their surroundings by using a form of echolocation, or sonar. Their high-frequency squeaks bounce off their surroundings and are picked back up by their ears. The differences in how long it takes for the echo to reach the nocturnal animals and the intensity of the sound tell them in real time where things are, what’s in the way and the proximity of potential prey.

Many insects have geometric-shaped compound eyes, in which each ‘eye’ is composed of hundreds to tens of thousands of individual units for sight that make it possible to see the same thing from multiple lines of sight. Compound eyes give flies a near-360-degree view even though their eyes have a fixed focus length, making it difficult for them to see anything far away.