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At the University of Rochester in upstate New York, optics professor Jannick
Rolland has developed a high-resolution liquid lens for optical imaging under
the skin's surface. The lens aims to detect skin lesions and determine whether
or not they're cancerous without having to make any incisions to remove tissue,
or undergo costly MRI procedures.
The device is a cylindrical probe about one-foot in length. The tip is
placed in contact with the suspicious tissue and brings-up a high resolution,
3D image. It is made possible by using a unique liquid lens setup known as
Optical Coherence Microscopy.
In liquid lenses, a droplet of water takes the place of glass in traditional
lenses. An electrical field around the droplet causes it to change shape,
resulting in changes to the lens' focus. As the focus changes, the device is
able to take thousands of pictures as the different depths up to 1 millimeter
deep below the skin. Using infrared light allows the images to have a precise,
micro-scale resolution.
Rolland's process has been successfully tested on in-vivo human skin and
several papers have already been published on the subject. She recently
presented her findings at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.
Source: PhysOrg
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