Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis have developed a surgical camera inspired by the eye of the morpho butterfly. The camera, connected to the goggles a surgeon wears, sees infrared signals given off by tumor-binding dyes so that the surgeon can remove all of the cancerous tissue. Full story on EurekAlert!'s website. You can read more about it here: Fox News, CNET, Business Wire, Science Daily, Optical Society of America, eHealthNews, Express, Daily Mail, The Engineer
2018 - April
Researchers at the University of Illinois and Washington University have developed an underwater GPS method using polarization information collected with a bio-inspired camera mimicking the eyes of the mantis shrimp. This technology could open new possibilities for undersea navigation and understanding of the migratory behavior of marine animals. Video by Kaitlin Southworth and images provided by Viktor Gruev. You can read more about it here: Nature Photonics, IEEE Spectrum, Miami Herald, Science Daily, News Deeply, Illinois, Maritime Herold, Republica.
2017 - October
By mimicking the eye of the mantis shrimp, Illinois researchers have developed an ultra-sensitive camera capable of sensing both color and polarization. The bioinspired imager can potentially improve early cancer detection and help provide a new understanding of underwater phenomena, the researchers said. More information on youtube. Full story on EurekAlert!'s website. You can read more about it here:
NPR: The Snail-Smashing, Fish-Spearing, Eye-Popping Mantis Shrimp The killer punch of the mantis shrimp is the fastest strike in the animal kingdom, a skill that goes hand in hand with its extraordinary eyesight. They can see an invisible level of reality using polarized light, which could lead to a breakthrough in detecting cancer. More information on youtube. Full story on NPR's website.
2016 - February
National Geographic documentary on bio-inspired sensors for early cancer detection.
Our work on wearable goggles that are used in the operating room to assist oncologist in imaging cancerous tissue was covered by several new outlets. You can read more about it here: WashU Outlook, Fox News, Bloomberg, BBC
