One of the most fascinating aspects about insects are their eyes and it looks like scientists at the Urbana-Champaign university in the US have been able to create a camera that functions in a similar way. The artificial insect compound eye has an array of 180 lenses which are mounted on a curved sphere surface.

The advantage of such an eye is that it has an extremely wide angle view and allows an amazing depth of field of vision and due to the shape, does not have he same distortion issues displayed by regular camera lenses. The prototype does not have a high pixel lenses so the image quality is somewhat low.

The future applications of such a technology include medical applications where it could be fitted onto a device to be used for endoscopic checkups. It could also be used in surveillance and provide a much more advanced picture than is currently available.

In a breakthrough in technology, US scientists at Harvard University have announced that they have successfully created tiny robots with wings that mimic the actions of insects. The tiny robots fly in the same way that insects fly and could one day be used to pollinate crops or even in search and rescue efforts where access is a big issue.

The current prototypes created by the researchers at Havard University have been able to fly short distances with the flapping of their wings however are currently limited in that they need to be tethered to a cable. The cable allows the operator to control the device as well as provides power. The wings on the device flap at an amazing rate of 120 flaps per second.

So far, the device has been able to fly and hover in place for about 20 seconds. It is hoped that in the future the device can be fully wireless and allow for high maneuverability.

There is a lot of movement at the moment in the online shopping sector and big changes continue to happen with the announcement that Grays Online has snapped up online department store oo.com.au. Grays Online now believes that they are the biggest online company in Australia. The purchase price was not revealed however it is expected that the acquisition of oo.com.au will add approximately $50 million in sales to the Grays Online group. In terms of total turnover, the company is expected to reach a whopping $350 million per year.

The main competitors of OO.com.au is DealsDirect and Catch of the Day. DealsDirect were considered to be the largest online department store and has been growing for many years. They use promotions such as a DealsDirect coupon to attract customers online.

Australia is currently seen as being in its relative infancy in regard to online shopping and this represents a lot of opportunities. It is expected that there will be further acquisitions moving into the future.

One of the best creations for people who are adverse to wearing glasses is contact lenses. Contact lenses help people see perfectly clear for swimming and contact sports.

The process of making contact lenses is an interesting one. The actual method and materials used is dependent on the type of lenses being soft or hard lenses.

Soft lenses are made from materials which are termed hydrogels which are plastic polymers and have an affinity for water. Hydrogels absorb water and when they do they become soft and flexible and do not lose their ability to correct vision.

They are made by either lathe cutting or injection molding. When made using the lathe cutting method, the lenses are placed on a mount and shaped using a computer which controls a laser cutting tool. This process is completely automated.

Contact lenses are available online, provided you have a prescription, from stores like Clearly Contacts. If you are looking to purchase from them, get a Clearly Contacts coupon here.