Where am I? This question must also be able to robot answer, for example, if you edit the work pieces or parts to assemble, in an unknown Terrain and obstacles need to quickly Dodge, as well as a target to find. Robots need to have so as every living being is a kind of eye

Manfred Lindinger

editor in the Department “nature and science”.

F. A. Z.

so Far, cameras with light-sensitive Sensors on a flat or curved Chip this task. These arrangements usually have little Similarity with the natural model and does not come close to its performance. But there is a glimmer of light. Scientists from the Hong Kong University of Science of Technology have developed a bionic eye, which is modeled after the human sense organ in the outer shape and whose properties can quite compete.

The eye, dasZhiyong Fan and his colleagues have created, has as its biological role model of a spherical shape. It has a glass lens with an aperture as the pupil, a retina and optic nerve. The components are, however, not from biological materials, but from inorganic materials. The network is constructed in a skin of porous aluminum oxide, in the pores of which photo-sensors are embedded. These transform as the sensory cells of the natural retina – the rods and cones – incoming visible light into electrical signals. Wires made of a special Gallium-Indium alloy to transport the signals to a Computer that generates the image that the eye sees straight.

Faster than biological cells

The case of artificial sense-organ is made of tungsten, which is coated with aluminum. Filled the chamber with an ionic liquid, which simulates the glass body of the natural organ. The molten salt serves as the electrolyte and improves the conductivity of the artificial nerve cells. Is a great step forward, as researchers Fan writing in the journal “Nature”, the half-shell-like shape of the artificial Retina. Thus, you have to reduce disturbing light-scattering effects and the imaging properties of the retina can optimize. Tests showed that the approximately two centimeter wide eye registered objects that were in a solid angle of about a hundred degrees. A rigid human eye has a field of view of about 130 degrees. Letters such as Y, I and H could be perfectly reconstructed.

According to the researchers, the artificial eye captured from Hong Kong, an almost equally large range of brightness as the human counterpart. To Changes in the intensity of the photo sensors react faster than biological cells. It falls short, however, of the resolution. This would increase if we would make the design of the Sensors and the wires that carry the electrical signals small. So the lines with a diameter of 0.7 millimeters thick. Also, the researchers know to Fan, nor to little about the long-term stability of your eye. In addition, there is a lack of a Zoom lens. This would just be for applications in medical technology and robotics is advantageous.