Biologically inspired intraoral camera for multifunctional dental imaging

Abstract. Biological vision offers intriguing inspiration for functional features in imaging systems with small form factors. We report biologically inspired intraoral camera (BIOC) for assorted dental imaging. This fully packaged BIOC features a convex-concave lens, inverted microlens arrays (iMLAs), LED module, and a single CMOS image sensor on a flexible printed circuit board in a handpiece holder. The iMLAs also collect light from wide angles by mounting the convex-concave lens to increase the viewing angle. The clinical trials have been successfully conducted for real-time and multifunctional intraoral monitoring of human teeth, including infinite depth of field, close-up, wide field-of-view, three-dimensional, and autofluorescence imaging. This biomedical camera provides insights for functional imaging not only in dental applications but also in surgical robots and endoscopy applications.