Photonic information techniques based on compound-eye imaging

Abstract

Insects and arthropods have compound eyes consisting of multiple small eyes as their visual system. Various interesting features can be utilized in the applications of the compound eye to information systems. A compact image capturing system named Thin Observation Module by Bound Optics (TOMBO) is an effective instance of the photonic information systems based on compound-eye imaging. The TOMBO retrieves a high-resolution image from multiple low-resolution images captured by the compound eye. In this paper, wide distance-range imaging, 3-D information acquisition, and 3-D object interface are presented as effective applications of the TOMBO system. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.