Robots to gain eyes in the back of their heads

Researchers in the United States are developing robots with "eyes in the backs of their heads" in the form of nine digital cameras attached to a frame the size of a beach ball.

Providing a robot with "omni-directional" vision could vastly improve its navigational skills, the scientists said. A report on their work is in the latest edition of the New Scientist magazine.

The new "eye," named the Argus Eye after the all-seeing Greek god, passes the images to a computer which works out the direction in which the robot is pointing and heading.

While humans can rely on sensors in their ears to navigate themselves, many robots have to rely solely on their single eye.