Fiber optics achieves new breakthrough: human body detection imaging device as thin as a hair

Fiber transmission lines are thinner than a human hair

Scientists at the University of St Andrews in the UK have made a major breakthrough in the field of medical devices, which will allow doctors to "insert" imaging devices thinner than a hair into extremely hard-to-reach parts of the human body to see the health of that area.

Dr Tomas Cizmar and Professor Kishan Dholakia have reportedly developed a new technology that for the first time allows precise images to be transmitted via a single strand of microscopic optical cable.

Researchers have long hoped to use thin fibers to transmit images, but many attempts have always resulted in garbled images. However, now Dr. Sisma and Professor Dholakia have found a way to decipher these chaotic optical signals to form a clear and accurate image.

It is reported that their breakthrough has laid the foundation for the development of new, cheap and less harmful imaging equipment, while at the same time allowing medical imaging equipment to "reach" more hard-to-reach parts of the body. This is particularly beneficial for research in neuroscience and other branches of medicine, because the parts of the body to be studied in these disciplines are either very delicate or difficult to reach.

According to the researchers, fibers that can support multiple modes of light transmission usually disperse the beam, resulting in a random, elusive signal. Generally speaking, this is an imaging problem because light is twisted and lost during transmission. However, scientists at the University of St Andrews found that if the randomness of light in the fiber can be characterized, then the way the image is chaotic can be predicted. In other words, the output light signal can be correctly interpreted to obtain the original image.

Dr. Sisma said: "This is an early but progressive approach to the holistic interpretation of random optical signals. It has only been a few years since the first experiments, but we have already seen a series of very promising results. Our new results mark a new step forward for our branch of science towards biomedicine, and we look forward to exciting times ahead as the technology improves further."

The University of St Andrews hopes to build on this success and has now launched a fundraising campaign to support biomedical research in the fields of analytical imaging and neuro-photonics as part of its 600th anniversary celebrations. The new collaborative research project will reportedly push existing research to a higher level, opening the door to improved understanding and diagnosis of a wide range of diseases.