Multimodal Endoscope Inspired by Human and Mantis Shrimp Vision

Innovation: Academia

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

2021

Image: Amber Wolfe / Unsplash / CC BY SA - Creative Commons Attribution + ShareAlike

Sense Light (Visible Spectrum) From the Environment

Living systems constantly receive signals from their environment that help them survive. Light (in the visible spectrum) can come from other living systems (such as fireflies) or from non-living sources (such as the sun). Survival often depends on sensing and responding to challenges like low light conditions or light that has been altered in some way. Because basic survival is at stake, living systems must excel at meeting those challenges. A well-known phenomenon is how water bends light. A stork trying to catch a fish underwater can compensate for this bending effect so that when it strikes at the fish, it has a good chance of catching it.

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Sense Light (Non-visible Spectrum) From the Environment

Living systems interact with each other and with their environments to gain information. Sometimes that information is in the electromagnetic spectrum. Wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum are also called the non-visible spectrum, because humans can’t detect them with the naked eye. These include ultraviolet (UV) light, infrared (IR) light, radio waves, and other wavelengths. Detecting within these spectra requires strategies beyond those used for visible light, so many living systems that depend on these signals have specialized organs to do so. For example, beetles that feed on burned trees have sensory organs that detect infrared radiation emitted by fires, enabling them to quickly locate a burned area.

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Endoscope from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences captures visible and near-infrared light simultaneously to create high-quality 3D images.

Benefits

Increased efficiency
Reduced error

Applications

Medical treatment
Medical diagnoses

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 3: Good Health & Wellbeing

The Challenge

Endoscopes are useful tools that allow doctors and surgeons to take 3D images from inside the body. Currently, the standard endoscope needs to be switched out when a doctor needs to see fluorescent images, which help locate diseased tissue. This switch increases chances of error and contamination, as well as a longer procedure for the patient.

Innovation Details

The bio-inspired medical endoscope can collect 3D visible light and near-infrared fluorescence images simultaneously. It does this by using two optical systems with a binocular design, similar to human eyes. The near-infrared wavelengths required for fluorescence imaging are detected by a sensor inspired by the eyes of mantis shrimp, which can simultaneously detect different wavelengths of light. The result is a high-resolution image that doctors can use to identify harmful tissue or areas to be avoided during surgery. The endoscope has a resolution as high as 7 line pairs per millimeter with visible light (the same as the best 3D endoscopes used today) and 4 line pairs per millimeter with near-infrared illumination.

Biological Model

Humans have two eyes that work together to form binocular vision. This type of vision increases depth perception, contrast detection, and light sensitivity by combining information from two slightly different perspectives of the same view.

The eyes of the mantis shrimp contain 16 photoreceptors (compared to four in humans) that are able to detect several different types of light, including UV and polarized light, simultaneously. Mantis shrimps can also detect six different types of polarized light, including horizontal, vertical, two diagonal types, and two types of circular polarization.

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