EAGER: Ultraminiature Imaging Systems for Biomedical Applications

1053204Tanguage这一潜在的变革性研究项目的基本目标是研究用于人体慢性外科植入的超小型相机以及用于微创内窥镜检查的超小型光学成像系统的可行性。这类超小型相机的生物医学成像应用包括长期植入式相机、超小型内窥镜、视网膜假体的眼内相机、视网膜假体的广视场眼球跟踪眼外相机和微型眼球跟踪相机。这项赠款支持的主要研究活动将包括理论分析、制造和测试既紧凑又低质量的超小型光学系统，以便进行外科植入；通过超小形状因数折射和混合折射/衍射光学元件在这种高度微型化的光学系统中融入优化的成像能力；研究开发针对生物医学成像应用进行优化的低功率、低形状因数的CMOS图像传感器阵列的设计原则，并通过视觉心理物理学技术评估生物医学应用中像素化图像的前后图像过滤的重要性，以便为这些新型光学成像系统建立适当的设计约束。

1053204TanguayThe fundamental goal of this potentially transformative research project is to investigate the feasibility of ultracompact optical imaging systems for ultraminiature cameras designed for chronic surgical implantation in the human body, as well as for minimally invasive endoscopic examinations. Biomedical imaging applications of such ultraminiature cameras include chronically implantable cameras, ultraminiature endoscopes, an intraocular camera for retinal prostheses, a wide field-of-view eye-tracked extraocular camera for retinal prostheses, and a miniaturized eyetracking camera.The principal research activities enabled by this grant will include theoretical analysis, fabrication, and test of ultraminiature optical systems that are both compact and low-mass to allow for surgical implantation; the incorporation of optimized imaging capability in such highly miniaturized optical systems by means of ultra-small form factor refractive and hybrid refractive/diffractive optical elements; the investigation of design principles for the development of low power, low form factor CMOS image sensor arrays that are optimized for biomedical imaging applications, and the assessment by means of visual psychophysics techniques of the importance of pre- and post-image filtering of pixellated images for biomedical applications, in order to establish appropriate design constraints for these novel optical imaging systems.