Current medical imaging technologies allow visualization of tissue anatomy in the human body at resolutions ranging from 100 micrometers to 1 millimeter. These technologies are generally not sensitive enough to detect early-stage tissue abnormalities associated with diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis, which require micrometer-scale resolution. Here, optical coherence tomography was adapted to allow high-speed visualization of tissue in a living animal with a catheter-endoscope 1 millimeter in diameter. This method, referred to as "optical biopsy," was used to obtain cross-sectional images of the rabbit gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts at 10-micrometer resolution.

In Vivo Endoscopic Optical Biopsy with Optical Coherence Tomography

An autofocus lens system includes no conventional moving parts and has excellent speed and low power consumption. The system includes a small electronically-controlled focusing-module lens. The focusing-module lens includes two adjustable polymeric surfaces (e.g., two adjustable-surface lenses in a back-to-back configuration). The curvature of the surfaces can be adjusted to change focus. The performance of the autofocus lens system is extended by adding a conventional first and second lens, or lens group, on either side of the focusing-module lens. What results is an autofocus lens system with excellent near field and far field performance.

Autofocus lens system for indicia readers

Systems and methods are described for generating restricted depth of field depth maps. In one embodiment, an image processing pipeline application configures a processor to: determine a desired focal plane distance and a range of distances corresponding to a restricted depth of field for an image rendered from a reference viewpoint; generate a restricted depth of field depth map from the reference viewpoint using the set of images captured from different viewpoints, where depth estimation precision is higher for pixels with depth estimates within the range of distances corresponding to the restricted depth of field and lower for pixels with depth estimates outside of the range of distances corresponding to the restricted depth of field; and render a restricted depth of field image from the reference viewpoint using the set of images captured from different viewpoints and the restricted depth of field depth map.

Systems and Methods for Synthesizing Images from Image Data Captured by an Array Camera Using Restricted Depth of Field Depth Maps in which Depth Estimation Precision Varies

A liquid-crystal elastomer (LCE) iris inspired by the human eye is demonstrated. With integrated polyimide-based platinum heaters, the LCE material is thermally actuated. The radial contraction direction, similar to a mammalian iris, is imprinted to the LCE by a custom-designed magnetic field. Actuation of the device is reproducible over multiple cycles and controllable at intermediate contraction states.

Iris‐Like Tunable Aperture Employing Liquid‐Crystal Elastomers

A touch panel and an electronic device are provided. The touch panel includes a first substrate; a second substrate that is spaced apart from the first substrate by a gap and includes a contact surface; driving electrodes that are formed on each of the first substrate and the second substrate; and electro-rheological fluid that is disposed in the gap. When a driving voltage is applied between the driving electrodes, a button area is delimited due to a variation in viscosity of the electro-rheological fluid at the button area. When a thickness of the gap is reduced to a value equal to or less than a threshold due to a pressing force applied to the contact surface at the button area, the driving voltage is cut off.

Touch panel and electronic device including the same

An image sensor module having a sensor chip closely adhered on a concave surface and a fabrication method thereof are disclosed. The image sensor module includes at least one sensor chip, at least one sensor chip-mounting structure comprising a substrate and a polymer layer formed on the substrate, the polymer layer having an concave surface formed on an upper part thereof by a polymer molding method, so that the sensor chip is bent and bonded on the concave surface, and at least one lens fixed on the at least one sensor chip-mounting structure above the sensor chip.

Image sensor module and fabrication method thereof

A flexible image photographing apparatus includes a plurality of image photographing units to photograph a photographing object. A flexible body receives the plurality of image photographing units and may be transformed when a force is applied. A control portion is disposed at the flexible body to control each of the plurality of image photographing units to photograph the photographing object. The control portion stores images of the photographing object and performs various kinds of photography.

Flexible image photographing apparatus with a plurality of image forming units and method for manufacturing the same

Traditional laparoscopic optical systems consisting of about 30 lenses have low optical magnification. To magnify tissue during surgical operations, one must change from one laparoscope to another or use a magnifying adapter between the laparoscope and the sensor. Our work focuses on how to change the sag of a liquid lens while zooming from 1 × zoom, to 2 × , and 4 × in an optical design for a laparoscope. The design includes several lenses and two liquid lenses with variable focal lengths. A pair of laparoscopes for 3-D stereoscopy is placed within a tube 11 mm in diameter. The predicted depth resolution of tissue is 0.5 mm without interpolation at 4 × zoom.

Zoom lens design using liquid lens for laparoscope.

This Letter presents an adaptive liquid iris based on microelectrofluidic technology with experimental results. In the microelectrofluidic iris (MEFI), the electrostatic force generated by electrowetting in a surface channel unbalances the Laplace pressure acting on two fluidic interfaces between air and a light-absorbing liquid in two connected surface channels in a chamber. Then, the changed net pressure makes the iris aperture of the liquid diaphragm adjustable. The present MEFI was designed to have a tunable range from 4.2 to 0.85 mm in diameter and a tuning ratio of 80%. The MEFI was fabricated with a transparent electrode patterned on three glass plates and two channel spacers. Concerning the optical and interfacial properties of the MEFI for its operation, an aqueous near-infrared dye used in optical coherence tomography (OCT) was forced into a ring shape as the driving liquid in the hydrophobic chamber. By switching the segmented concentric control electrodes in steps, digital operation of the MEFI was successfully observed with clear aperture stops. The measured turnaround speed was 80  mm/s, which is significantly higher than that for other comparable adaptive liquid irises. Due to a scalable aperture range with fast response, the concept of MEFI is expected to be widely applied in various optical systems that require high-quality imaging, as well as in real-time diagnostic OCT.

Variable aperture controlled by microelectrofluidic iris.

An electroactive polymer actuator and a method for manufacturing the electroactive polymer actuator are provided. The electroactive polymer actuator includes an actuator unit which is a laminate of a plurality of deformation layers; and a support layer which supports the actuator unit so that the actuator unit provides displacement corresponding to a voltage if the voltage is applied to the actuator unit. Therefore, it is possible to provide an electroactive polymer actuator suitable for a compact mobile device with a low driving voltage.

Min-seog Choi

Papers

Image sensor module and fabrication method thereof

Flexible image photographing apparatus with a plurality of image forming units and method for manufacturing the same

Zoom lens design using liquid lens for laparoscope.

Variable aperture controlled by microelectrofluidic iris.

Electroactive polymer actuator and manufacturing method thereof