Researchers create human-like "shape-shifting" lens
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have gone back to
the source for inspiration with their new artificial lens, creating a
so-called "shape-shifting" lens that mimics the way a human eye works.
Like other liquid lenses,
theirs uses a glass-oil-water interface, but it also adds a a ring of
polymer gel around the lens that acts like a muscle, changing the focal
length as it expands and contracts. What's more, the gel apparently
works simply by reacting to environmental changes, like a rise in
temperature or change in acidity, allowing for both smaller and more
power-efficient imaging devices than other similar lenses. One example
the researchers give is an implantable lens that could react to protein
changes in the human body. Not quite Fantastic Voyage territory, but we'll take what we can get.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment