Scientists claim to create an artificial eye that mimics human eye

Team Udayavani, May 22, 2020, 9:34 AM IST

Scientists have created a cyborg eye whose function and structures share many things in common with its human counterpart. Researchers say that bionic eye could surpass the sensitivity of a human one

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology researcher Zhiyong Fan and his colleagues have developed a visual sensor that imitates the actual human eye structure.

It is said that the artificial eye is like the real one that has a lens to focus light, and a retina which is located at the back of the eye. It is where photosensitive cells produce electrical impulses that are sent to the brain.

The eyes are said to function like human eyes. An array of nanowire photosensors is built inside a hemispherical membrane made of aluminium oxide that serves as the retina.

Wires made of a liquid metal, which is a eutectic gallium-indium alloy, replicate nerves that send signals from the sensors to external processing. It also copies the gel between the lens and retina called vitreous humor with an ionic liquid

Also, the nanowires are so sensitive they could surpass the optical wavelength range of the human eye, allowing it to respond to 800 nanometer wavelengths, the threshold between visual light and infrared radiation which means it could see things in the dark when the human eye can no longer keep up.

The researchers also claim the eye can react to changes in light faster than a human one, allowing it to adjust to changing conditions in a fraction of the time.