Eye-inspired tunable imaging system has medical potential

It is claimed the technology could lead to new imaging instruments and microscopes for use in medicine and scientific research. Such devices would be used for detecting the early signs of skin cancer or help to provide early visual cues for food spoilage.

The new imaging system is the first to demonstrate the imaging capabilities of focusing techniques that replace conventional, solid lenses with a combination of a malleable lens and a liquid, iris-like component.

The researchers describe their new imaging system in a paper published in Optics Letters.

Though the image processing that happens in the human brain and eye is complex, the mechanical apparatus is relatively simple. It consists of muscles that deform a stretchable lens to change focal length, the distance between the lens and the point at which rays of light are brought to a focus. The eye’s iris opens and closes to control the amount of light that can pass through the lens.