BioInspired! So What? Now What!

Visionsense has developed a miniature stereoscopic (3D) sensor that optically maps the surgical field. The technology imitates the eye of a bee: a single sensor divided into hundreds of thousands of tiny eyes looking in different directions, using an array of micron-sized elements. 

The elemental information is translated using advanced proprietary software into the left eye and right eye images. The result is a clear stereoscopic view, which bypasses the diffraction limit that restricts all current miniature cameras.

This technology enables Visionsense to provide better image quality at smaller dimensions.

The BBC mentioned the invention in a post on 3D brain surgery (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25743600).  The normal method of using two sensors to generate a 3D image was not possible due to the small scale of neurosurgery.