Work

Biologically inspired microlens array camera for high-resolution wide field-of-view imaging

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Natural vision employs diverse strategies to achieve wide field-of-view imaging critical for environmental awareness. Here we report spatially offset ellipsoidal microlens array camera, inspired by the angular sampling strategy of Xenos peckii for high-resolution wide field-of-view imaging. The camera features optical units with spatially offset-coupled apertures and ellipsoidal microlenses onto a single planar sensor within a 0.94 mm total track length. Direction-specific spatial offsets and asymmetric microlens curvatures substantially reduce aberrations across a 140° field-of-view. Digital calibration and image stitching reconstruct complex surfaces such as microfluidic channels, dental phantoms, and human faces, producing one-megapixel images with 1.1-pixel error. This ultrathin camera provides high-resolution and wide field-of-view imaging of real-world targets in confined spaces for applications in machine vision, mobile imaging, and healthcare monitoring.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70967-2