Mantis shrimp could hold key for enhanced robotic vision

Researchers from the University of Bristol have claimed that the unusual eye movements of the mantis shrimp could be replicated to produce an advanced automated visual system.

The mantis shrimp has long been a point of fascination for scientists and engineers. Raptorial appendages at the front of its body can be extended at the same velocity as a bullet fired from a .22 calibre rifle, striking prey with 1,500 Newtons of force. The speed is so great that water around the limbs boils instantly and causes a supercavitation, and the crustaceans have even been known to shatter the glass in aquarium tanks.

But it’s the mantis shrimp’s eyes that are perhaps most fascinating. Rather than the three types of colour receptive cones that humans have (blue, red and green), the mantis shrimp has an incredible 12. They can see in infrared and ultraviolet, and can even see the polarisation of light. On top of this, the team from Bristol has now discovered that the creatures can enhance that polarisation detection by rolling their eyes.