Avian eye–inspired perovskite artificial vision system for foveated and multispectral imaging

Abstract

Avian eyes have deep central foveae as a result of extensive evolution. Deep foveae efficiently refract incident light, creating a magnified image of the target object and making it easier to track object motion. These features are essential for detecting and tracking remote objects in dynamic environments. Furthermore, avian eyes respond to a wide spectrum of light, including visible and ultraviolet light, allowing them to efficiently distinguish the target object from complex backgrounds. Despite notable advances in artificial vision systems that mimic animal vision, the exceptional object detection and targeting capabilities of avian eyes via foveated and multispectral imaging remain underexplored. Here, we present an artificial vision system that capitalizes on these aspects of avian vision. We introduce an artificial fovea and vertically stacked perovskite photodetector arrays whose designs were optimized by theoretical simulations for the demonstration of foveated and multispectral imaging. The artificial vision system successfully identifies colored and mixed-color objects and detects remote objects through foveated imaging. The potential for use in uncrewed aerial vehicles that need to detect, track, and recognize distant targets in dynamic environments is also discussed. Our avian eye–inspired perovskite artificial vision system marks a notable advance in bioinspired artificial visions.