Engineering Miniature Imaging Instruments

Abstract

Miniature instruments are being developed with millimeter dimensions for in vivo imaging with performance approaching that of conventional laboratory microscopes used in basic science. This reduction in size allows for in vivo imaging to visualize pathology in hollow organs to guide biopsy, identify surgical margins, and localize disease. Recently, significant advances have been made in endomicroscopy technology, including in optical designs, light sources, optical fibers, and miniature scanners, allowing for improved resolution, greater tissue penetration, and multi-spectral imaging. Key performance goals that challenge our engineering capabilities include the need for large displacements, high scan speeds, linear motions, and mechanical stability in a scaled-down instrument package. Tiny scanning and actuation mechanisms must be reduced in size for in vivo imaging and performed with high speeds to ultimately achieve fast two- and three-dimensional beam scanning, representing a significant challenge for this field. Here, we present several representative miniature imaging technologies that are currently under development. We have included novel methods for cross-sectional imaging with deep tissue penetration, wide area surveillance, and high-resolution microscopy. These emerging technologies represent only a small fraction of the exciting new developments that promise to generate new knowledge about human biology and diseases in the near future.