Toward Wide-Field, Extended-Range 3D Vision: A Biomimetic Curved Compound-Eye Imaging System

Zhang, Songchang; Zhang, Xibin; Zhao, Yingsong; Ren, Xiangbo; Yu, Weixing; Xu, Huangrong

doi:10.3390/s26030901

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Open AccessArticle

Toward Wide-Field, Extended-Range 3D Vision: A Biomimetic Curved Compound-Eye Imaging System

by

Songchang Zhang

¹,

Xibin Zhang

²,

Yingsong Zhao

³,

Xiangbo Ren

^2,4,

Weixing Yu

^2,4

and

Huangrong Xu

^2,*

¹

School of Information Engineering, Xi’an University, Xi’an 710065, China

²

Key Laboratory of Spectral Imaging Technology, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.17 Xinxi Road, Xi’an 710119, China

³

National Key Laboratory of Solid Rocket Propulsion, Institute of Xi’an Aerospace Solid Propulsion Technology, Xi’an 710025, China

⁴

Center of Mechanics Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sensors 2026, 26(3), 901; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030901

Submission received: 25 December 2025 / Revised: 13 January 2026 / Accepted: 26 January 2026 / Published: 29 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Optical and Optomechanical Sensors)

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Abstract

This work presents a biomimetic curved compound-eye imaging system (BCCEIS) engineered for extended-range depth mapping. The system is designed to emulate an apposition-type compound eye and comprises three key components: a hemispherical array of lenslets forming a curved multi-aperture imaging surface, an optical relay subsystem that transforms the curved focal plane into a flat image plane compatible with a commercial CMOS sensor, and a high-resolution CMOS detector. Comprehensive optical analysis confirms effective aberration correction, with the root-mean-square (RMS) spot radii across the field of view (FOV) remaining smaller than the radius of the Airy disk. The fabricated prototype achieves an angular resolution of 2.5 mrad within an ultra-wide 97.4° FOV. Furthermore, the system demonstrates accurate depth reconstruction within the entire FOV at distances up to approximately 2 m, exhibiting errors below 2%. Owing to its compact form, wide FOV, and robust depth-sensing performance, the BCCEIS shows strong potential as a payload for unmanned aerial vehicles in applications such as security surveillance and obstacle avoidance.

Keywords: biomimetic optics; compound eye; optical design; wide-field imaging; depth mapping

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, S.; Zhang, X.; Zhao, Y.; Ren, X.; Yu, W.; Xu, H. Toward Wide-Field, Extended-Range 3D Vision: A Biomimetic Curved Compound-Eye Imaging System. Sensors 2026, 26, 901. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030901

AMA Style

Zhang S, Zhang X, Zhao Y, Ren X, Yu W, Xu H. Toward Wide-Field, Extended-Range 3D Vision: A Biomimetic Curved Compound-Eye Imaging System. Sensors. 2026; 26(3):901. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030901

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Songchang, Xibin Zhang, Yingsong Zhao, Xiangbo Ren, Weixing Yu, and Huangrong Xu. 2026. "Toward Wide-Field, Extended-Range 3D Vision: A Biomimetic Curved Compound-Eye Imaging System" Sensors 26, no. 3: 901. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030901

APA Style

Zhang, S., Zhang, X., Zhao, Y., Ren, X., Yu, W., & Xu, H. (2026). Toward Wide-Field, Extended-Range 3D Vision: A Biomimetic Curved Compound-Eye Imaging System. Sensors, 26(3), 901. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030901

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Toward Wide-Field, Extended-Range 3D Vision: A Biomimetic Curved Compound-Eye Imaging System

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