Communications of the ACM
Looking to the Future Through the First Autonomous Artificial Iris
European researchers have created an artificial iris that can react to light to the same degree as a human eye.
Credit: Alexander Gold/Shutterstock
Researchers working on the European Union-funded Tunable Photonic Structures via Photomechanical Actuation (PHOTOTUNE) project have created an artificial iris that can react to light to the same degree as a human eye.
The study harnessed photoalignment technology in conjunction with light-sensitive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) to build the iris.
The research's key breakthrough is the artificial iris' ability to function more autonomously than previous efforts.
"An autonomous iris that can independently adjust its shape and the size of its aperture in response to the amount of incoming light is a new innovation in the field of light deformable materials," says PHOTOTUNE researcher Arri Priimagi.
The artificial iris, which looks like a contact lens, opens and closes its center based on the amount of light that strikes it.
Priimagi says the PHOTOTUNE project highlights the potential of photonics technology for use in medical applications and the next generation of robotics.
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