An artificial iris made from intelligent, light-controlled polymer material — developed by the Smart Photonic Materials research group from Tampere University of Technology (TUT) — can react to incoming light in the same ways as the human eye.
Made from a light-sensitive liquid crystal elastomer, the artificial iris reportedly uses the same photoalignment technology used in some contemporary mobile phone displays. According to researchers, the artificial iris looks similar to a contact lens, and is designed so the center opens and closes according to the amount of light that hits it. Additionally, the iris is able to function on its own without the use of power sources or external light detection systems.
Researchers reportedly plan to next make the artificial iris capable of functioning in an aqueous environment, as well as work on increasing the sensitivity of the device to make it react to smaller changes in the amount of incoming light — two steps researchers believe will bring towards possible biomedical applications.
TUT reportedly developed the iris in collaboration with researchers from the University of Warsaw and Wroclaw Medical University.
The research was recently published in the journal Advanced Materials.
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Source: Tampere University of Technology