MT/BT students receive funding for the development of a low-cost and imaging OCT (optical coherence tomography) system for teaching and research

With their idea to develop a low-cost OCT system for teaching, the two master students Calvin Kreft and Konstantin Gramatte scored points with the members of the research committee. The funding is intended to promote student involvement in research and development at the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena (EAH Jena). To ensure that the two students do not lose their way, they are actively supported by Professor Dr. Iwan Schie.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique for generating two- and three-dimensional images of depth profiles in organic and non-organic media, similar to ultrasound imaging. Due to the high axial resolution of about 0.5 μm to 15 μm and a simultaneously relatively high penetration depth of 1-3 mm, depending on the wavelength used, this method offers a wide range of applications, including medicine and materials analysis. Ophthalmology in particular benefits from the technological advances of OCT due to the high-resolution imaging, for example in the examination of the anterior and posterior segment of the eye.

The project includes the development and setup of an OCT system, which explains the implementation of the imaging technique to students in a clear and practical way and enables a "hand-on experience" with this technique. This practical implementation opens up numerous possibilities in teaching for a practice-oriented university. These include the creation of numerous practical courses around this topic to deepen the basics of this imaging technique in medicine and materials analysis, as well as the practical use of 3D printers, which are gaining significant importance as time goes on.