Artificial bee eye gives diminutive robotic air drones wider range of vision
By Darren Murph 
posted August 9th 2010 10:42AM
posted August 9th 2010 10:42AM
We'd bother telling you up front that it also gives them a new sense of purpose, but you're already versed in how the impending Robot Apocalypse is going to go down. Wolfgang Stürzl and his best buds over at Bielefeld University in Germany have just published a report detailing how an artificial bee eye could improve the vision of miniature robots -- ones that fly, in particular. By using a catadioptric imaging system, which captures an image using both mirrors and lenses, they were able to utilize a single camera to capture a full 280-degrees of vision, and a lowly internal computer is able to stitch the two panes together in order to create a usable image that humans can interpret. The idea here is to provide more sight with less space, bringing us one step closer to actually having our very own 'fly-on-the-wall' moment. Comforting, no?
Nice. Can it send images to my iPhone?
@SuperModified
Yes. yes it can.
@SuperModified
Just recording HD video would be enough for me!
To bee or not to bee.
That's the question.
The answer is annihilation of mankind.
@TheAmazingWJV But.... will it blend? that is the real question
This will definitely bug Isaac Asimov
@WhoIsCalvin Depends which of the Robots gets to utilise this.
@WhoIsCalvin No it won't. Professor Bullfinch has prior art on this one. I blame that Danny Dunn kid for letting this one leak out.
"Bee-based pun"
This will be useful in a few years when all the bees are extinct.