Scientists have long dreamed of seeing the world through the eyes of insects. This is not just curiosity, there is great practical interest in it. An insect with a camera can climb into any gap, which opens up great opportunities for video surveillance in previously inaccessible places. This will be useful for security forces and rescuers, for whom the collection of information is saved lives. Finally, miniaturization and robotics go hand in hand, complementing one another.
A group of scientists from the University of Washington a new camera system that is so small and light that it can fit on a beetle's back. From there, the camera can be controlled wirelessly to focus on the desired subjects and stream video to a Bluetooth-connected smartphone.
The camera resolution is quite modest and is 160 Γ 120 pixels in black and white mode. Shooting speed from one to five frames per second. It is important to note that the camera is mounted on a rotary mechanism and can, on command, turn left and right at an angle of up to 60 degrees. Insects, by the way, use the same principle. The small brain of a beetle or a fly cannot process a wide-angle visual image, so insects have to constantly turn their heads to study the subject of interest in detail.
A full charge of the camera system battery lasts for an hour or two of continuous shooting. If an accelerometer is connected, which automatically turns on the camera only at the moments of a sharp change in the direction of the beetle, the charge is enough for six hours of system operation. We add that the weight of the entire miniature platform with a camera and a rotary mechanism is 248 milligrams. Scientists also equipped a robotic mechanism the size of an insect that they created with a similar camera. There is no talk of commercial implementation of the development yet.
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Source: 3dnews.ru