Endoscope technology
Very cool advance in
Endoscope technology (these are the flexible tubes of optical fibers or lenses that allow you to view inside spaces that are not otherwise accessible - Endoscopes are used for surgery and for inspecting inside machinery)
Some researchers in Australia have come up with a design that uses a single optical fiber. From an article in the
New Scientist magazine:
bq. A new endoscope, made of a single optical fiber just half a millimeter wide, could one day help doctors avoid obstructions during cochlear implant surgery. The implants are designed to restore hearing to deaf patients but cannot always be fitted because of unexpected obstructions in the inner ear. The endoscope could also be used to peer inside other narrow structures such as blood vessels.
And more:
bq. So a team of photonics experts led by Martijn van Eijkelenborg of the Australian Photonics Cooperative Research Centre at the University of Sydney turned to "holey fibers", a technology that could provide critical connectors in the optical computers of the future.
Posted by DaveH at January 23, 2004 8:55 AM