A05

Subproject A05

Electro-optic Microstructure- and Micromotion-Sensor

The A05 project is developing a new laser-based sensor capable of detecting micro-motion in individual muscles. The main advantage over current systems is its contactless and wireless measurement capabilities, which can enhance medical diagnoses for stress and depression. The novel sensor combines the coherent optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (COFDR) technique with the dual comb approach. A specific challenge associated with this approach is filtering the measurement signal from the noise. Since this is a medical application, the laser used must have low power due to scattering and absorption caused by the interaction with the skin surface, resulting in a weak received light. To maximize the signal-to-noise ratio, careful selection and optimization of the individual components are necessary. The final step involves expanding individual comb lines using dispersive elements, like an optical grating, so that the muscles can be observed as a grid instead of a point.