Solid-state controllable light filter may protect preterm infants from disturbing light
Monday, May 6, 2013 - 12:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Preterm infants appear to mature better if they are shielded from most wavelengths of visible light, from violet to orange. But it has been a challenge to develop a controllable light filter for preterm incubators that can switch between blocking out all light—for sleeping—and all but red light to allows medical staff and parents to check up on the kids when they're awake. Now, in a paper accepted for publication in Applied Physics Letters, a journal of the American Institute of Physics, researchers describe a proof-of-concept mirror that switches between reflective and red-transparent states when a small voltage is applied.