Robotic Camera Mimics Human Eye MovementsRobotic Camera Mimics Human Eye Movements

Researchers at Georgia Tech have made a breakthrough in their work to make robots function more similarly to humans with the creation of a camera that has the potential to move similarly to the muscles of the human eye.

Researchers in the university's George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering developed a robotic mechanism that can orient a camera using muscle-like cellular actuators that mimic the movements of human eye muscles rather than use traditional robotic motors.

The work is part of ongoing research into an area of robotics called compliance, which is to make robotic movements more flexible -- similar to the movements humans make, said Joshua Schultz, a Ph.D. candidate at the university and one of the researchers on the project, in an interview. Research in cellular actuation could pave the way for the design of more flexible cameras and devices for medical procedures and surgeries to complement the work of doctors and clinicians, he said.