Jul 19 2010
Boston Micromachines has bagged the 2010 the R&D 100 Award for its Adaptive Optics Optical Coherence Tomography (AO-OCT) instrument based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The company collaborated with Indiana University School of Optometry, University of California and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to develop the AO-OCT clinical apparatus instrument.
The AO-OCT instrument delivers three-dimensional retinal images of high resolution for optometrists in a non-invasive manner. The optometrists can view the cellular-level structure of the human retina using this instrument. It is a major advancement over the existing retinal cameras and optical coherence tomography.
The instrument enables doctors to diagnose retinal defects at an earlier stage and monitor the development of the disease as well. The instrument also tracks the advancement of genetic therapy, which helps in reversing the retinal diseases.
The AO-OCT instrument follows the same principles of adaptive optics that help astronomers view galaxies and stars using the Keck Telescope, which is ground based, at a higher resolution compared to that of the Hubble Space Telescope.
R&D magazine’s editors and an independent panel of judges have decided the winners of the award, which honors the top 100 advanced products that have been launched last year. The magazine’s editorial director, Rita Peters, said that the R&D 100 Awards recognizes the most advanced products that reach the marketplace.
Source: http://www.bostonmicromachines.com/