Japanese

Compact Imaging (CI) is developing an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system that will fit inside a device the size of a cell phone or wristwatch.

Conventional OCT instruments were introduced in the late-1990s and have brought impressive new imaging capabilities to clinic and laboratory settings in a variety of medical, ophthalmic and industrial applications. However, these systems typically are large, power intensive, complex, delicate and expensive. Consequently, they are unsuitable for many applications and environments.

CI’s multiple-reference OCT architecture (MRO™) features:

  • Small form factor: About the size of a computer DVD read/write head.
  • Robust, cost-effective design: Virtually solid state, typical of handheld devices.
  • Low-operating power requirements: Similar to battery-powered consumer electronics and communications products.
  • Flexible "free space" optical architecture: Suitable for applications requiring measurement spans of 30mm or more (depending on medium).

Instruments based on MRO™ technology are targeting a range of biological and non-biological imaging, measurement and analysis applications from living tissue to industrial materials.