Alternatives to single-use plastic are available – thanks to spider’s silk.
Meanwhile, a US research team has been inspired by jumping spiders’ vision to create a highly efficient 3D camera. Thanks to their multi-layered retina, the spiders can compute distances very quickly.
The camera, like the spiders’ retina, takes two images of the same area, each with a different focus setting. Using the subtle differences between the images’ sharp and blurred areas an algorithm calculates the distance and depth focus.
With software built directly onto an integrated FPGA chip, the process requires less than one watt. Useful for wearables, drones or robots.
A different camera simultaneously captures objects near and far, while these glasses compensate low vision caused by retinal diseases.
