Bio-Inspired Polarization Imaging Sensors: From Circuits and Optics To Signal Processing Algorithms and Biomedical Applications
Bio-Inspired Polarization Imaging Sensors: From Circuits and Optics To Signal Processing Algorithms and Biomedical Applications
Bio-Inspired Polarization Imaging Sensors: From Circuits and Optics To Signal Processing Algorithms and Biomedical Applications
In this paper, we present recent work on bioinspired polarization imaging sensors and
their applications in biomedicine.
In particular, we focus on three different aspects of these sensors.
First, we describe the electro–optical challenges in realizing a bioinspired polarization
imager, and in particular, we provide a detailed description of a recent lowpower
complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) polarization image.
Second, we focus on signal processing algorithms tailored for this new class of
bioinspired polarization imaging sensors, such as calibration and interpolation.
Third, the emergence of these sensors has enabled rapid progress in characterizing
polarization signals and environmental parameters in nature, as well as several
biomedical areas, such as label-free optical neural recording, dynamic tissue strength
analysis, and early diagnosis of flat cancerous lesions in a murine colorectal tumor
model.
INTRODUCTION
Natural biological designs have served as the motivation for many unique
sensor topologies. Real-time (i.e., 30 frames/s), full-frame image sensors are a
simple approach to a visual system, capturing all visual information at a given
time. However, this typically creates bottlenecks in data transmission, as well as
non-real-time information processing due to the large volume of image data
presented to a digital processor such as computer, digital signal processors
(DSPs), or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
APPLICATIONS:
ADVANTAGES:
Reduce bandwidth
power consumption.
BIOINSPIRED POLARIZATION IMAGING SENSORS:
In the mantis shrimp, these cells contain an array of microvilli that can act as
polarization filters. The photosensitive R-cells will signal the brain via the optic
nerve, and the brain extracts visual information based on input from the array of
ommatidia.
The realization of this new class of polarization imaging sensors has opened up
new research areas in signal processing and several new applications.