Page 76 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition May-Junel 2022
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NEW TECH
SMART CLS
TO MONITOR EYE
HEALTH CONDITIONS
urdue University in the United States is
renowned for its research that advances
Pdiscoveries in science, technology,
engineering and maths. Among its many PHOTO COURTESY OF PURDUE UNIVERSITY/
colleges and schools is the Weldon School
of Biomedical Engineering. Research at its
lab includes biomedical, mechanical, and REBECCA MCELHOE
materials engineering.
Here, Dr Chi Hwan Lee, assistant professor
of biomedical engineering and of mechanical
engineering, leads a team whose main focus PURDUE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEER
CHI HWAN LEE
is on developing flexible and stretchable
materials for wearable biomedical devices. places. The StickTronics are thin and their form
Its researchers work with biomedical, can be changed from rigid and stiff to flexible
mechanical and chemical engineers, as well and stretchable, so they can be used for a
as clinicians, to develop new technologies. The variety of applications, from curved displays to
clinical implementations are done through wearable biomedical devices.
effective communications with medical SMART CONTACT LENSES TO
doctors, clinicians, nurses, and caregivers. DIAGNOSE OCULAR HEALTH
LEE RESEARCH GROUP INNOVATIONS Using its pioneering StickTronics smart
The Lee Research Group works on a variety technology, the team has designed and
type of wearable biomedical devices that engineered smart soft contact lenses for
can be safely attached to the skin or eye, continuous remote assessment of ocular
allowing for continuous remote assessment of health and chronic diseases. Their devices are
human health and diseases. The applications built using various commercial brands of soft
are limitless, ranging from healthcare to contact lenses that offer ergonomic designs to
rehabilitation and to telemedicine. safely fit a variety of corneal shapes and sizes
in the human eye. These devices can be used
They created a new class of sticker-like for management of chronic ocular diseases,
electronics, or StickTronics, that are flexibly such as glaucoma, at home; painless ocular
attachable to curvilinear surfaces of arbitrary drug delivery; and in contact lens research and
72 THE INDIAN OPTICIAN MAY-JUNE 2022 TECH UPDATE
