Two Washington University in St. Louis faculty members are included in a National Geographic Channel Explorer episode scheduled to air Sunday, Feb. 14. The one-hour documentary, called “Explorer: Eyes Wide Open” will be broadcast on cable providers nationwide at 8 p.m. ET.
The special focuses on the evolution of sight and how eyes and the sense of sight continue to inspire novel imaging technologies that are used for early cancer detection.
Viktor Gruev, PhD, associate professor of computer science and engineering, and Spencer Lake, PhD, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, both in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, will appear in the program to explain how technology based on the eyes of the mantis shrimp are inspiring new designs in cameras and imaging.
The mantis shrimp senses multispectral and polarization information to detect prey. Based on the mantis shrimp’s eye, Gruev’s team developed an artificial eye able to sense polarization information. This artificial eye illuminates the hidden world of polarization of light and enables advancements in biology and biomedicine that range from marine animals’ communication to early cancer detection and tendon teardown.
The Explorer segment will feature fabrication of the artificial eye in the cleanroom facility at Washington University, underwater experiments in the Great Barrier Reef lead by Gruev and other experiments with Gruev and Lake using the special camera to measure collagen strength in soft tissue.
Comments and respectful dialogue are encouraged, but content will be moderated. Please, no personal attacks, obscenity or profanity, selling of commercial products, or endorsements of political candidates or positions. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate comments. We also cannot address individual medical concerns or provide medical advice in this forum.