Newswise — The National Institute of Health's National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering has awarded RTI International and InnerOptic Technology Inc., of Chapel Hill, a $264,000 grant to develop technologies that will ultimately produce a real-time three-dimensional depth extraction laparoscope for use in minimally invasive surgeries.
During this one-year grant, RTI will develop a programmable light modulator for integration into InnerOptic's 3D laparoscopic imaging system.
During a typical laparoscopic procedure, the surgeon operates while viewing an overhead video monitor rather than looking directly at the patient, a procedure that requires practice and training to maneuver long laparoscopic instruments while deftly handling soft, delicate tissues. The 3D laparoscopic system proposed by InnerOptic will replace the current 2D video monitor with 3D visualization of the internal organs during surgery.
This shift will increase the surgeon's perception during delicate tasks. The key to this capability is using light-enabled image acquisition and projection.
To address this need, RTI will be developing a transmissive optical device called an artificial eyelid to integrate into InnerOptic's patented technology. The eyelid array will be capable of opening and closing its selected micro-electromechanical shutters, creating dynamically structured light patterns.
Under the NIH grant, very small, fully retracted eyelids will be designed and optimized to generate the high optical transmission required for application with InnerOptic's 3D laparoscope. InnerOptic will integrate the optical device into a prototype surgical system and demonstrate structured light patterns at rates required for surgical applications. It is expected that this development will enable vastly improved image quality compared to current system capabilities.
Accomplishing this task will significantly improve surgeons' tool maneuverability around delicate internal organs, thus minimizing tissue damage during surgeries and reducing patient recovery time. Researchers say the improvement should help to keep infection rates associated with surgery low, as they have already significantly decreased as a result of smaller incisions associated with laparoscopic surgery. Researchers say the new 3D Laparoscope, if successful, could be a revolutionary surgical tool for doctors who perform more than 2 million laparoscopic surgeries annually in the United States. The procedures include surgeries to remove gallstones as well as to correct stomach, intestine, pancreas and spleen problems.
About RTI InternationalRTI International is an independent nonprofit research organization dedicated to conducting research and development that improves the human condition. With a staff of more than 2,500 people, RTI offers innovative research and technical solutions to governments and businesses worldwide in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, advanced technology, surveys and statistics, education and training, economic and social development, and the environment. For more information, please visit us at: http://www.rti.org.
About InnerOpticInnerOptic was founded in 2002 to commercialize the patented 3D Laparoscope technology, initially developed by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. InnerOptic's 3D Laparoscope systems will allow surgeons to perform minimally-invasive surgery as if they were performing open surgery, providing a view into the body with registered, real-time in vivo imagery that is both stereoscopic and head-tracked.
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