Current news, United States of America – Artificial vision is getting closer, after scientists developed tiny electric eyes designed for use by microbots, which could eventually help blind people see.
Reported from Dailymail.co.ukon May 12, Georgia State University researchers created a device using a new vertical stacking system, which allows eye technology to be scaled down, so that it can operate at the micro level.
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The team’s goal, led by assistant professor of physics Sidong Lei, is to create a micro-scale camera that can operate as a tiny robot eye, can access areas that humans can’t reach, and large-scale bots can’t reach.
In the future, the team says the same technology could be adapted to bring vision to the blind, or improve color perception in colorblind people.
The device uses synthetic methods to mimic the biochemical processes that allow humans to see, as a step towards micro-scale robotic cameras.
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“We illustrate the basic principles and feasibility of building this new type of image sensor with an emphasis on miniaturization,” said Professor Lei.
This improves color recognition when compared to previous generation devices of the same size, and it is the most important function of vision, he said.
Conventional color sensors typically adopt a lateral color sensing channel layout and take up a lot of physical space and offer less accurate color detection.
“It is well known that more than 80 percent of information is captured by sight in research, industry, medicine and our daily lives,” said Prof Lei.
“The main goal of our research is to develop a micro-scale camera for micro-robots that can enter tight, intangible spaces in the current way, and open up new horizons in medical diagnosis, environmental studies, manufacturing, archaeology, and more.”
Lei and his team say the vertical color sensing structure offers precise color recognition capabilities that can simplify the design of optical lens systems.
Ningxin Li, a graduate student who was part of the research team, said recent technological advances made new designs possible.
“The new functions achieved in our image sensor architecture all depend on the rapid progress of van der Waals semiconductors over the past few years,” said Li.
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“Compared to conventional semiconductors, such as silicon, we can precisely control the material’s van der Waals band structure, thickness, and other important parameters for sensing red, green, and blue colors.”
Known as van der Waals semiconductors powered by vertical color sensors (vdW-Ss), these represent an emerging class of materials, in which individual atomic layers are bonded by weak van der Waals forces.
In molecular physics, van der Waals forces are interactions that depend on the distance between atoms or molecules.
New material is one of the most prominent platforms for discovering new physics and designing next generation devices.
“The ultra-thin technology, mechanical flexibility, and chemical stability of this new semiconductor material allow us to stack them in an arbitrary order,” Li said.
“So, we are actually introducing a three-dimensional integration strategy that contrasts with the current planar micro-electronic layout.”
“Higher integration density is the main reason why our device architecture can accelerate camera downsizing,” added Li.
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The technology is currently in the patent process with the Georgia State Office of Technology Transfer & Commercialization (OTTC), which said a number of industry partners would likely be interested in using the technology.
“This technology has the potential to overcome some of the key flaws seen with current sensors, said OTTC Director Cliff Michaels.”
“As nanotechnology advances and devices become more compact, these smaller and highly sensitive color sensors will come in handy.”
Researchers believe the discovery could even spawn advances to help the visually impaired one day.
“This technology is very important for the development of biomimetic electronic eyes as well as other neuromorphic prosthetic devices,” said Li.
“High-quality color sensing and image recognition functions can bring new possibilities of perception of colorful items to the visually impaired in the future.”
