Inspired by the human eye, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed an adaptive metalens, that is essentially a flat, electronically controlled artificial eye. The adaptive metalens simultaneously controls for three of the major contributors to blurry images: focus, astigmatism, and image shift.

The research was published in Science Advances.

“This research combines breakthroughs in artificial muscle technology with metalens technology to create a tunable metalens that can change its focus in real time, just like the human eye,” said Alan She, a graduate student at SEAS and first author of the paper. “We go one step further to build the capability of dynamically correcting for aberrations such as astigmatism and image shift, which the human eye cannot naturally do”. (1)

We arrogantly celebrate the creation of an “eye”. But we have forgotten than it is not an eye that we need in order to see. We used to know that there is no river at all, until the moment we stepped inside it. And ever since, we have been dragged away from home by that nonexistent cold river’s current…

We used to see the stars.

Well before the invention of telescopes.

We used to examine our inner self.

Well before the invention of microscopes.

We used to know the universe.

Well before philosophy even had a name…