Eye-Shaped Camera Promises Distortion-Free Pics

Aug. 6, 2008 -- Inspired by the human anatomy, researchers in the United States have created the world's first curved electronic "eye" camera, according to a study released Wednesday.

The size and shape of a human eye, the device weaves a network of silicon detectors into a flexible mesh, and could usher in a new generation of distortion-free digital and video cameras.

Experiments already under way are testing other potential applications, including a thin, pliable monitor to detect electrical signals travelling across the undulating surface of the human brain.

Its breakthrough design also points the way to the development of artificial electronic retinas that could one day help restore sight, says the study, published in the British journal Nature.

"This approach allows us to put electronics in places where we couldn't before," said John Rogers, an engineer at the University of Illinois, who led the research along with Yonggang Huang of Northwestern University.

"We can now, for the first time, move device design beyond the flatland constraint of conventional wafer-based systems."

A curved array of detectors is "much better suited for use as retinal implants," Rogers said in a statement.

Animal eyes are naturally curved for capturing images, but up to now artificial vision systems have been limited to flat image-recording surfaces.

Engineers have been trying for decades to manufacture an electronic eye system, but the goal of creating a working camera remained elusive.