This Camera is Taking Endoscopy Tracking to New Levels

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have created a camera that can identify the location of endoscopes. This new technology could eliminate the need for x-ray and other scan technology to track fiber-optic devices. They recently published their research in Biomedical Optics Express.

Endoscopy beams don’t travel in linear motion, making it challenging to clearly identify the light. However, this new device can remedy the issue. The camera uses a silicon chip filled with thousands of single photon detectors to locate light points through 20 centimeters of tissue. It can capture the smallest traces of light that pass through the body.

The project was spun out of the Proteus Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration, an initiative geared toward developing devices that can identify and treat lung disease in collaboration with Heriot-Watt University and University of Bath.

The device falls in line with a larger movement to develop less-invasive disease-treating procedures. According to one of the researchers, Kev Dhaliwal, PhD, the technology could be used for various applications.

“We hope to take this forward to human trials in the coming year,” Mike Tanner, MD, a research fellow at Edinburgh’s Queen Medical Research Institute told DigitalTrends. “The equipment is relatively simple and compact, and ideal for deployment and commercialization in realistic timescales.”