Giving machines humanlike eyes

Generations of film and video cameras, including today's best imaging systems, can trace their lineage back to Muybridge's boxy cameras. Of course, modern equipment uses solid-state detectors instead of glass plates, and the number of frames that can be taken each second is vastly greater. But the basic strategy is identical: You capture a sequence of still images, which when played back rapidly gives the viewer the illusion of motion.