My immediate question was isn't their bundle of optical fibres performing essentially the same function as a lens? Why not use a lens? Answering my own quest

My immediate question was isn't their bundle of optical fibres performing essentially the same function as a lens? Why not use a lens? Answering my own question, having just read the abstract (in case anyone else had the same reaction). The claim is that they get the light collecting powers, combined with a wide field of view. A lens collects the light, but has a narrow field of view, which requires steering/alignment. Edit: Another possibility is a Luneburg lens, a type of lens that can focus plane waves from many directions to a small area? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luneburg_lens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luneburg_lens