Rounding out an insect-eye view

A new humanmade version of an insect’s compound eye could perform like the real thing. Because of its pinhead size and anticipated low cost, the eye is promising for many applications, its inventors say. Those uses include miniature surveillance cameras and medical endoscopes.

EYE TO EYE. Microscope images of an artificial compound eye’s cross section (top) and that of a honeybee’s eye (bottom) show similarities of structure, shape, and size.