Design of a Milligram-Scale Vision Sensing System

Insects and insect-sized robots rely predominantly on visual perception as the primary source of information for interacting with environment. However, the extreme constraints on size, weight, and power consumption present significant challenges in implementing controllable wireless vision systems on such resource-limited small platforms. In this study a completely wireless micro vision system was proposed, with a size of 1cm × 1cm, an ultra-lightweight design of 113.7 mg, and an maximum transmission range of 140 meters. The system's compatibility in terms of size and functionality with live insects was empirically validated through experiments conducted on freely moving live beetles. Operating on a 20 milliamp-hour battery, the system demonstrated over 12 hours of continuous functionality, showcasing its broad potential for applications on miniaturized and low-power platforms.