Originally published February 1 2005
Optical chip emulates retina; has superior performance in harsh lighting
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A new optical sensor chip works like the human retina and can handle arbitrary levels of lighting. This development may help robots function outside a controlled laboratory setting and be more useful in the outside world, where things like light levels are highly variable and often not subject to control. The new sensor may allow better robotic control of unmanned aerial vehicles, among other applications.
Researchers are developing new technologies that may give robots the visual-sensing edge they need to monitor dimly lit airports, pilot vehicles in extreme weather and direct unmanned combat vehicles.
Intrigue Technologies are developing an image sensor that will approach the adaptive capabilities of the human eye.
Like the proposed chip, it is a computational image sensor that pre-processes an image before sending it to a computer, video screen or other outlet.
The researchers intend to create an imaging chip that defeats the harmful effects of arbitrary illumination, allowing robotic vision to leave the controlled lighting of a laboratory and enter the erratic lighting of the natural world.
In a first step, the researchers have now developed software that simulates the chip circuitry, a program that alone is capable of uncovering hidden detail in existing images.
Designed by robot-vision expert, Vladimir Brajovic, and his colleagues at Intrigue Technologies, Inc.---a spin-off of the team's Carnegie Mellon University research---the new optical device will work more like a retina than a standard imaging sensor.
Just as neurons in the eye process information before sending signals to the brain, the pixels of the new device will "talk" to each other about what they see.
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