This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop high quality, inexpensive polymer-based (plastic) optical fiber imaging guides and other new and unique endoscopic devices through the use of innovative polymer processing techniques. Polymer imaging guides have several distinct advantages over their glass counterparts, including reduced cost, smaller bend radius, and increased ruggedness. Additional benefits include the ability to dope the polymer matrix with molecules that can be used as environmental probes, scintillating material, or indicators ; the ability to tailor the guide for highly specific applications, and the ability to impart diverse functionality into a single imaging guide. The Phase II project is expected to result in a truly disposable endoscope.
The commercial application of this project is in the area of biomedical devices and instrumentation. It is expected that the polymer imaging guide developed in this project will be used as a direct replacement for glass guides in all types of fiber optic endoscopes currently manufactured. The resulting benefits would be lower costs, less patient discomfort, higher reliability, earlier detection of abnormal conditions, and an increase in the number of procedures that could be performed with endoscopes in an outpatient setting.
