Some glasses automatically adjust focus between near and distant objects. Many birds can see for miles while still recognising their immediate environment.
Their retinas have a deep hollow, meaning they are more sensitive to light. With an additional fourth photoreceptor, they can also perceive blue, red, green and UV light.
Inspired by this phenomenon, a Korean research team has developed a camera that simulates the structure of avian eyes.
They also used the titanium-based material perovskite to create an image sensor with four vertically-stacked layers, each one corresponding to a different colour range.
Compared with conventional cameras, in simulations the team’s camera magnified distant objects by twice the size without compromising near focus.
Also intriguing: how animals perceive colour.
