# Micro Biomimetic Eyeball for Humanoid Robots: A Visual System with High‐Density Functional Integration Based on an Origami Mechanism

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a lightweight, biomimetic eyeball system for humanoid robots that mimics human eye functions like wide field-of-view and target tracking.

## Contribution

The novel use of a 3-DOF origami mechanism enables miniaturization while maintaining human-like visual functionality in a robotic system.

## Key findings

- The BES achieves a monocular FOV exceeding 151.6° × 151.6°, matching human eye physiology.
- The system weighs only 1.8 g and demonstrates high-speed movement and dynamic imaging capabilities.
- It enables target recognition and tracking equivalent to human smooth-pursuit movements.

## Abstract

Rapid advancements in general‐purpose humanoid robots have spurred extensive in‐depth research on bionic vision systems (BVSs) with human‐like ocular functions. However, fabricating a gram‐weight miniature artificial eyeball integrated with optical imaging, dynamic field‐of‐view (FOV) modulation, and intelligent target tracking remains challenging. A biomimetic eyeball system (BES) based on the miniature origami mechanism (MOM) with three degrees of freedom (DOFs) is presented in this study to solve the inherent problems of traditional electromechanical BVSs (large volume and weight). The performance of BES in the FOV adjustment range (monocular exceeding 151.6° × 151.6°) not only precisely matches the physiological characteristics of the human eye but also offers advantages in overall size (Φ23 mm × 15 mm) and weight (1.8 g) over systems reported in current research. This system also performs high‐speed movement (saccade, 4382°/s), dynamic imaging (smooth pursuit, 532°/s), interactive control under human–robot collaboration, and active zooming. It demonstrates target recognition, locking, and tracking abilities functionally equivalent to human smooth‐pursuit movements in scenarios with active target locking based on visual attention mechanisms. This study overcomes the dual tradeoff between miniaturization and functional integrity in traditional BVSs through the novel visual solution that integrates spatial adaptability, motion compatibility, and cognitive decision‐making capabilities.

A biomimetic eyeball system (BES) based on a 3‐DOF miniature origami mechanism, which addresses the inherent issues of large size and weight in traditional electromechanical BESs is presented. Moreover, it maintains a level of visual functionality comparable to that of the human eye, including capabilities such as rapid scanning, target recognition, and tracking.