A camera allows you to see through the human body

Ars Electronica / Christopher Sonnleitner

Published the 04.09.2017 at 17: 25

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A camera would see through the human body without the use of x-rays. A team of engineers from the university of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) has developed a device that can detect the photons, particles of light, located under the chair. An innovation introduced in Biomedical Optics Express could revolutionize medical imaging techniques.

The researchers scottish explain that their camera would follow an endoscope during the exploration of the digestive system or lungs. Equipped with a lamp tiny, the device would, in fact, spotted by the camera. This could then guide the actions of the doctor, as is the fact today a scanner, or a scanner. Benefit : patients will not be exposed to ionizing radiation.

“The ability to locate a device in the human body is crucial for many reasons in the medical world, especially as we move toward approaches that are less invasive to treat the disease “, raises the Pr Kev Dhaliwal, one of the authors.

Follow the light

The first tests performed in sheep show that the camera detects a light source located 20 cm under the skin. Another feat : the camera can detect light even if it is deflected by the tissue because it identifies the movement of each photon using hundreds of sensors placed in a small chip made of silicon. This allows to obtain a more accurate image of the endoscope and its location.

The research team has developed this tool to be used in bed patients, and particularly for the realization of endoscopic bronchial.

This project is part of the interdisciplinary research program Proteus that develops new tools for diagnosis and treatment of lung disease.