A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota have, for the first time, fully 3D printed an array of light receptors on a hemispherical surface. This discovery marks a significant step toward creating a “bionic eye” that could someday help blind people see or sighted people see better.
Bionic eyes are usually thought of as science fiction, but now we are closer than ever using a multimaterial 3D printer.
Researchers started with a hemispherical glass dome to show how they could overcome the challenge of printing electronics on a curved surface. Using their custom-built 3D printer, they started with a base ink of silver particles.
The dispensed ink stayed in place and dried uniformly instead of running down the curved surface. The researchers then used semiconducting polymer materials to print photodiodes, which convert light into electricity. The entire process takes about an hour.
The Researchers said the most surprising part of the process was the 25 percent efficiency in converting the light into electricity they achieved with the fully 3D-printed semiconductors.
Related Videos:
Ocumetics Bionic Lens could give you vision 3 times better than 20/20
Artificial Eye: Researchers combine Metalens with an Artificial Muscle
News Source: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/research-brief-researchers-3d-print-prototype-bionic-eye
Watch more 3d Prinding videos at our YouTube Channel Qualitypointtech
