In other words, the lenses would collectively form a single eye.

ECONOMIST: Brittlestar eyes

The skeletons of brittlestars, which are sea creatures related to starfish and sea urchins, contain thousands of tiny lenses that collectively form a single, distributed eye.

ECONOMIST: REPORTS

It said the advantages were brighter, clearer indoor images that would be less prone to blur caused by unsteady hands than some SLR (single lens reflex) cameras on the market which feature bigger and more expensive lenses.

BBC: Nokia unveils two Windows Phone 8 handsets