There’s little that a bug can’t see. A dragonfly’s compound eye is made up of 30,000 or so individual lenslets, called omnitidia, each offering a different viewing angle, and giving the insect 360-degree vision. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley tried to duplicate such vision with an artificial compound eye. Each hemisphere of the eye contains 8,700 microlenses and has a viewing range of 180 degrees. The device could be used in surveillance systems, military or otherwise, although the armed forces have not financially supported this research. Luke Lee, a professor of bioengineering, leads the project.
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