2023-09-23 02:29:44
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Duke University have received a $12,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to expand and improve a robotic eye examination system. The system is designed to automatically position the examination sensor to scan the human eye and aims to perform most steps of a standard eye examination.
Current systems use optical scanning technology that operates at a safe distance from the eye, but researchers are working to add features that would require the robot to be closer to the eye. The goal is to automate routine testing, enabling faster, more widespread testing and ultimately improving health outcomes for more people.
One of the challenges in developing this system is ensuring safety. Health screenings require robots to operate reliably and safely near sensitive body parts. The researchers aim to develop a safer and more reliable control device that will allow the robot to examine the eye from a distance of just one centimeter.
To achieve this improved safety, the researchers plan to conduct large-scale reliability tests. They developed a second robot that uses a mannequin head to mimic unexpected human behavior. This helps you understand and mitigate the effects of algorithmic bias in your system. The mannequin heads simulate different individuals, with different skin colors, facial features, hair, and coverings.
Researchers envision the system being used in clinical settings, but see potential applications in retail settings, such as opticians and pharmacies. The system can be used to scan the eye for prescriptions or to provide diagnostic scans that can be passed on to a doctor.
The two-year grant, co-sponsored by the National Robotics Initiative, will allow researchers to further develop and test a robotic eye examination system to make it safer and more reliable. This has the potential to increase access to routine healthcare services and increase the efficiency of healthcare workers.
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