Research team develops artificial octopus eye

Poor visibility conditions, such as rain, fog or snow, can sometimes push robots, drones and autonomous cars and their sensors and navigation systems to their limits. In the future, a camera technology modeled on the eyes of octopuses could provide better visibility.

Robot eye: octopus as model

An international team of researchers has developed an artificial eye for robots that is modeled on the structure of the eye of squid. The project was carried out by scientists from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology at Seoul National University.

The researchers based their work on the eyes of squid, which provide good visual perception even in low and fluctuating light conditions. Octopuses can see in murky water and changing light conditions thanks to their W-shaped pupils.

The artificial squid eye consists of a spherical lens on which a W-shaped pupil has been placed. The researchers also added an aperture to allow for adjustment as light levels vary. Inside the eye is a flexible polarizing material and cylindrical silicon photodiodes capable of converting incident photons into electrical signals.

Robot eye delivers more image detail

In various tests, the researchers compared the artificial eye with commercially available cameras commonly used as robotic eyes. They found that the new robotic eye delivers higher visual recognition performance in low and fluctuating light conditions and can provide more image detail.

The research team now plans to make the system more competitive with conventional cameras by using less expensive components. They also plan to add a tracking function. They are optimistic that their approach is a first step toward significantly improved robotic eyes.

The higher detection performance of the artificial octopus eyes could be used to achieve more reliable detection of objects on the road, which would be especially important for autonomous vehicles. Another potential application would be underwater robots, which need higher visual recognition performance to navigate in difficult conditions.

In their study, published in Science Robotics, "Cuttlefish eye-inspired artificial vision for high-quality imaging under uneven illumination conditions," the science team took a close look at the structure of the squid's eyes and artificially recreated them. They believe their chosen approach is a first step toward significantly improved robotic eyes.

Using artificial eyes based on the model of an octopus' eye could lead to a new generation of robots that are better able to understand and interact with their environment. The research team also has other applications in mind, such as driving robots and thus also autonomous cars