Shrimp eyes

The next great improvement in CD & DVD technology may come from the eye of a shrimp. In addition to trinocular vision and the ability to see in 12 colors (humans are limited to binocular vision & 3 colors), the mantis shrimp is the only animal known to be able to see circularly polarized light, which travels in the shape of a helix rather than in straight lines. The light-sensitive cell that allows the shrimp to do this outdoes synthetic wave plates found in CD and DVD players and camera filters that convert circularly polarized light to linear form. And the cell can detect ultraviolet light, as well. Engineers are trying to mimic the mantis shrimp’s superior technology using liquid crystals. "The cool thing is I think it's actually something you could make and it would improve the workings of current technologies such as Blu-Ray, which uses multiple wavelengths of light, and of future data storage devices," said the biologist who discovered the shrimp’s giant abilities.

animals, technology

Books

• Biomimicry
  innovation inspired by nature

Websites

• Not Exactly Rocket Science
  Mantis shrimp eyes outclass DVD players, inspire new technology

Books

• About crustaceans
  a guide for children
• The new way things work
  an illustrated encyclopedia of technology

Websites

• Wired science
  Mantis Shrimp Eyes Might Inspire New High-Def Devices

Last updated by curious on Oct. 27, 2009

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