3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY BRINGS

BIONIC EYE ONE STEP CLOSER


















According to sciencevish and bbc the  A research team at the University of Minnesota
has 3D printed an image sensor array onto a
hemispherical surface for the first time, taking a
big step towards the creation of a bionic eye that
could help blind or partially-sighted people see.
Using a custom-built 3D printer, the team laid
down a base layer of silver particles onto the
surface of a hemispherical glass dome. The
silver particles stayed in place and dried
uniformly instead of running down the curved
surface. They then used semiconducting
polymer materials to print photodiodes (tiny
devices that convert light into electricity) on top
of the silver base. The resulting prototype ‘bionic
eye’ was able to convert light to electricity with
25 percent efficiency.


“Bionic eyes are usually thought of as science
fiction, but now we are closer than ever [to
making them a reality] using a multi-material
3D printer,” said Professor Michael McAlpine of
the University of Minnesota. “We have a long
way to go to routinely print active electronics
reliably, but our 3D-printed semiconductors are
now starting to show that they could potentially
rival the efficiency of semiconducting devices
fabricated in microfabrication facilities. Plus,
we can easily print a semiconducting device
on a curved surface.”


The team plans to create a second prototype
with more light receptors and develop a method
of printing onto a soft hemispherical material
that can be implanted into an eye socket.

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