Bradley Nelson Created a New Technology That May Save Your Eyesight
Ryan Fowler — May 13, 2013 — Tech
References: iris.ethz.ch & mashable
This new technology may save your eyesight. Bradley Nelson is a professor of robotics and intelligent systems at ETH-Zurich. Leading a team of researchers, he has created tiny devices that will help save your eyesight. These tiny robotic devices are injected into the eye and can be steered through the eye’s fluids with external magnetic fields.
Nelson and his team of researchers have done this by coating these micro-robots with nanospheres made out of a special dye that will turn the devices into oxygen detectors. When they are exposed to a specific wavelength of light, the dye glows. A Fluorescence that disappears quickly will then indicate high amounts of oxygen that are surrounding the dye. If the dye fades slowly, this indicates low amounts of oxygen. Essentially the new oxygen-sensing robots will indicate when the blood flow to the eye is restricted, which is generally the result of vision loss.
Nelson and his team of researchers have done this by coating these micro-robots with nanospheres made out of a special dye that will turn the devices into oxygen detectors. When they are exposed to a specific wavelength of light, the dye glows. A Fluorescence that disappears quickly will then indicate high amounts of oxygen that are surrounding the dye. If the dye fades slowly, this indicates low amounts of oxygen. Essentially the new oxygen-sensing robots will indicate when the blood flow to the eye is restricted, which is generally the result of vision loss.
Trend Themes
1. Micro-robotics for Eyesight - Developing efficient, safe and relatively painless micro-robotic medical intervention to prevent vision loss is an emerging disruptive innovation.
2. Nanoparticle Coatings for Micro-robots - Research and development of nanospheres made out of special dyes to coat micro-robots for targeted medical interventions is a growing trend with innovative potential.
3. Robotics for Healthcare Monitoring - Advancements in robotics and intelligent systems that aid healthcare such as the development of tiny robotic devices to sense eye oxygen offer enormous possibilities for innovation and disruptive change.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare Technology - This industry can leverage micro-robotic technology through research and innovation for the diagnosis and treatment of ailments in areas such as the eye, heart and other body organs.
2. Medical Device Manufacturing - Optimizing medical device components with nanoparticle coatings, external magnetic fields and sensors offer opportunities for manufacturers to make safer, more effective and precise instruments for therapeutic or diagnostic use.
3. Biopharmaceutical - Integrating micro-robotic medical technology with biopharmaceutical research and development offers avenues to develop personalized medicine, detecting diseases and delivering targeted drugs to the affected organs or tissues.
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