Our lab is developing multimodal bioinspired sensors focused to solve problems in two areas: image guided cancer surgery and underwater remote sensing. The visual system of various animals, such as mantis shrimp or morpho butterflies, are able to detect spectral and polarization information with higher acuity compared to state-of-the-art imaging systems. Using combination of CMOS technology and optical nanostructures, we are developing  bioinspired spectral and polarization imaging sensors with sensing capabilities exceeding state-of-the-art technologies.

Image-guided surgery can enhance cancer treatment by completely removing all cancerous tissues while preserving healthy tissue. Current state-of-the-art near-infrared fluorescence imaging systems have major shortcomings such that an overwhelming majority of physicians still rely on their unaided eyes and touch to identify cancerous tissue. Our imaging sensors are realized by shifting the design paradigm away from conventional advancements in the semiconductor and optical technology fields and instead adapting the elegant, evolutionarily honed design of the mantis shrimp’s compound eye – a 500-million-year-old, condensed biological system optimized for high-acuity detection of multispectral information. Preclinical and clinical data demonstrate seamless integration of this technology in the surgical workflow while providing surgeons with real-time information on the location of cancerous tissue. Due to its low manufacturing cost, our bio-inspired sensor will provide resource-limited hospitals with much-needed technology to enable more accurate value-based health care.