title: Hardware architecture and cutting-edge assembly process of a tiny curved compound eye.
abstract: The demand for bendable sensors increases constantly in the challenging field of soft and micro-scale robotics. We present here, in more detail, the flexible, functional, insect-inspired curved artificial compound eye (CurvACE) that was previously introduced in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS, 2013). This cylindrically-bent sensor with a large panoramic field-of-view of 180° × 60° composed of 630 artificial ommatidia weighs only 1.75 g, is extremely compact and power-lean (0.9 W), while it achieves unique visual motion sensing performance (1950 frames per second) in a five-decade range of illuminance. In particular, this paper details the innovative Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) sensing layout, the accurate assembly fabrication process, the innovative, new fast read-out interface, as well as the auto-adaptive dynamic response of the CurvACE sensor. Starting from photodetectors and microoptics on wafer substrates and flexible printed circuit board, the complete assembly of CurvACE was performed in a planar configuration, ensuring high alignment accuracy and compatibility with state-of-the art assembling processes. The characteristics of the photodetector of one artificial ommatidium have been assessed in terms of their dynamic response to light steps. We also characterized the local auto-adaptability of CurvACE photodetectors in response to large illuminance changes: this feature will certainly be of great interest for future applications in real indoor and outdoor environments.
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7287 ISM, 13288 Marseille, France. stephane.viollet@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Viollet
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7346 CPPM, 13288 Marseille, France. godiot@cppm.in2p3.fr.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Godiot
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, 07745 Jena, Germany. robert.leitel@iof.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leitel
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, 07745 Jena, Germany. wolfgang.buss@iof.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Buss
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7346 CPPM, 13288 Marseille, France. breugnon@cppm.in2p3.fr.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Breugnon
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7346 CPPM, 13288 Marseille, France. menouni@cppm.in2p3.fr.
authors.forename: Mohsine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menouni
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7287 ISM, 13288 Marseille, France. raphael.juston@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Raphaël
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Juston
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7287 ISM, 13288 Marseille, France. fabien.expert@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Expert
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7287 ISM, 13288 Marseille, France. fabien.colonnier@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Colonnier
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. geraud.leplattenier@epfl.ch.
authors.forename: Géraud
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: L'Eplattenier
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, 07745 Jena, Germany. andreas.brueckner@iof.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brückner
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, 07745 Jena, Germany. felix.kraze@iof.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kraze
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Biology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. hanspeter.mallot@uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Hanspeter
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mallot
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7287 ISM, 13288 Marseille, France. nicolas.franceschini@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Franceschini
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pericet-Camara
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7287 ISM, 13288 Marseille, France. franck.ruffier@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ruffier
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. dario.floreano@epfl.ch.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Floreano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D054910:Compound Eye, Arthropod / Q000502:physiology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005137:Eye, Artificial; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology; D007909:Lenses; D008904:Miniaturization; D010783:Photometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012666:Semiconductors; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018511:Systems Integration